Psychosis and schizophrenia in children and young people: recognition and management

Considering your needs

Health and social care professionals should take into account your religious, cultural and ethnic background when assessing your condition and planning treatments. They should also consider learning ability, maturity and developmental stage. They should offer assessment and treatment suited to your culture, gender, age and communication needs. They should also offer you access to an interpreter and a list of local education providers who can teach English if needed. The team should ask whether you would prefer to be contacted by letter, phone, email or text message.

A member of your healthcare team should discuss psychosis or schizophrenia with you and give you information about the condition and its treatments in a language or format you can understand. They should also give you details of organisations providing support and information, support groups and useful websites. You should be given the chance to ask questions – there are lists of questions you might like to ask in the questions to ask about psychosis and schizophrenia in children and young people section.

The health and social care team should know that you may feel nervous about attending mental health services and they should make you feel comfortable and put you at your ease. They should work with you to build trusting relationships, support you to feel optimistic and encourage you to manage your condition and meet people of your own age with similar problems, if possible. Children and young people should be treated with respect and dignity, and discussions with healthcare professionals should take place in private.

Professionals should explain that they may need to discuss your treatment and care with other professionals, or write to them. You should be sent a copy of the letter, if you would like this.

Your healthcare team should support you to continue your education while you are unwell. If agreed, they can contact your school or college to ask the teachers to give you extra support if needed. If you are too ill to go to school or college, you may be offered other help with your education (which may be at home or at a special school) until you get better.