To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety what steps his Department is taking to encourage a culture of awareness and early intervention in mental ill-health in young people, in order to promote alternatives to pharmacological interventions.

A Regional Model for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) was published by my Department in 2012. It focuses on early intervention and is currently being implemented. Progress includes the recent establishment of Primary Mental Health Teams in each Trust area to promote the emotional health of children, young people and families in the community. These teams identify mental health and developmental problems in children and young people early in their development and work across boundaries to develop a coordinated response for children’s mental health between agencies.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) commissions and supports a range of services to promote better mental health at an individual and community level. This activity includes the design and delivery of mental health public information campaigns, often with a focus on young people, to address mental health stigma, improve awareness of mental health issues, and encourage help seeking behaviour.

Recent investment has also been focused on the establishment of Primary Care Talking Therapy and Wellbeing Hubs across the region in order to improve access to low intensity psychological care and help deliver more effective intervention at an early stage which, in turn, should reduce reliance on pharmacological interventions.