Mental health support

Mental health support for children and young people with epilepsy

Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression can occur more often in children and young people with epilepsy, than in their peers who do not.

This can be due to several factors including:

• Risk of seizures
• Previous injuries
• Previous experiences
• What a child or young person understands
• Misinformation
• Medications and side effects
• Restrictions or impact on their normal daily lives
• Impact it may have on education or career/future choices

We are working alongside the Royal College or Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the Epilepsy12 Audit to address this issue. We are working to improve the support that is available for our children and young people.

Please contact the teams if you have any questions.

Online information and support

The following websites are services we may have discussed in clinic that can provide further support depending on your needs.

Please be aware that these are not ESNEFT services, and their provisions may change.

4YP – For Children & Young People Charity (Opens in a new window)

NELFT Southend Essex and Thurrock Children’s and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Opens in a new window)

Family Lives (Opens in a new window)

Kooth (Opens in a new window)

NHS Every Mind Matters – for children (Opens in a new window)

NHS Every Mind Matters – for young people (Opens in a new window) 

Young Minds (Opens in a new window)

MindEd (Opens in a new window)

Samaritans (Opens in a new window)
You can also call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 or email the Samaritans

Teenage Mental Health (Opens in a new window)

Think Ninja video – Understanding anxiety (The video opens in a new window which takes you to the YouTube website where accessibility controls may not be supported).

Think Ninja video – Low mood (The video opens in a new window which takes you to the YouTube website where accessibility controls may not be supported)

Services in Essex

Mind (Mid and North East Essex) – Local Services for under 18yrs (Opens in a new window)

Southend, Essex and Thurrock Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Opens in a new window)

Services in Suffolk

Suffolk County Council – Children and Young People’s Emotional Wellbeing Hub (Opens in a new window)

The Source (Opens in a new window)