Children hearing voices are offered support with new study
18 July 2024
Young people who are hearing voices could soon benefit from a new research study.
The study will pilot the delivery of psychological interventions in schools, with the aim of increasing access and reducing waiting times for support.
ECHOES (Evaluating a Coping intervention for Hearing voices in Young People in Secondary schools) has been developed by researchers at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, University of Sussex, and Thought-full (the provider of the Mental Health Support Teams in West Sussex). The study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
Professor Mark Hayward, Director of the Sussex Voices Clinic said he was hopeful that early help "might make a real difference to the mental health of young people at this important time in their development".
He said: "We have been offering interventions in CAMHS for several years, and due to current service demands, young people often have to wait several months to receive an intervention.
"We developed the ECHOES study to support young people who are distressed by hearing voices to get help much more quickly, and reduce the likelihood that they will require support from CAMHS in the future. We know that voice-hearing is common amongst young people but can be difficult to talk about. We want to show teachers, families and young people that talking about these experiences can be helpful.
"We're hopeful that trying to help earlier might make a real difference to the mental health of young people at this important time in their development."
The study will pilot the delivery of psychological interventions - originally developed within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) - in schools, with an aim of increasing access and reducing waiting times for support. In addition to one-to-one sessions for the young person, workshops will be offered to the young person's support network, such as school staff, family members and friends. The feedback from these interventions will then be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot.