Changing the story on children’s mental health

24 February 2021

Learn about pioneering mental health research and clinical care planned at the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People.

On average, three children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental illness. Half of all adult mental health conditions are present by the age of 14. Currently, 200 children every year in the UK die from suicide. These stark figures presented by Maudsley Charity demonstrate the need to change the story on children’s mental health.

Working with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, Maudsley Charity supports world-class research and clinical care that will transform the mental health of children and young people.

With the largest team of specialist researchers in child and adolescent mental health in Europe, this partnership is well-placed to turn scientific developments into innovative ways of screening, detecting, preventing and treating common mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, anorexia, and OCD.

The Pears Maudsley Centre, a ground-breaking new £65m Centre for children and young people’s mental health, will be home to world-class research and clinical care, bringing clinicians and academics from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the IoPPN together to research and develop new interventions more quickly, and provide valuable insight and data to better target support. The aim is to redefine mental health for young people locally and drive best practice to also improve mental health globally.

The Centre will work in partnership with young people, families and schools to reach those with mental health issues sooner, to have the best chance of changing their lives for the better.

Mental illness is different for everyone. The aim is to help to develop innovative treatments specific to the needs of children and young people in our in our NHS services that also influence the way we care for and prevent mental illness in children and young people across the UK.

Maudsley Charity shared young people’s inspirational, real-life stories of mental health, told through actors for the purpose of anonymity:

Molly lost herself, her friends and some of her precious teenage years to a severe eating disorder but the support Molly received at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust helped to manage her condition.
Abdul felt like depression took away who he was and who he wanted to be. With specialist support from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, he was able to get the support he needed, and now is learning how to help others like him.
Struggling with OCD left James feeling isolated and without hope for the future. Specialist support at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust helped him – and now he’s training for a career he never thought he would have.

#ChangeTheStory is a public awareness and fundraising campaign to help raise funds for pioneering mental health research and clinical care at the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People. To learn more about the campaign, please visit changethestory.info