Dr. Amanda Burke:

CAMHS absolutely has a role in the assessment and treatment of young people with moderate to severe mental illness, including suicidality and deliberate self-harm. Where it can get somewhat complicated is when a young person has an emotional dysregulation and a reaction to a traumatic situation, so that his or her mental state may vary. Under those circumstances, it may be seen as appropriate to admit someone to an approved centre or psychiatric unit. Psychiatric units for young people are regulated by the Mental Health Commission, and very appropriately so. A young person cannot and should not be detained in a psychiatric facility any longer than he or she needs to be there. This is where there can be challenges because if somebody has had previous episodes of deliberate self-harm but no longer meets the criteria, that person cannot be detained in a psychiatric facility. That is where people are asking what kind of support they can access. It is then that one is looking at community supports and wrap-around care. It involves very thorough and accurate risk assessments as to the appropriateness of a placement in a psychiatric facility at that moment in time.