The Attachment Issue

Foreword from the Editor

Welcome to the May 2018 edition of the Bridge. This edition is themed around attachment in young children. There is a very moving piece from an adoptive parent who describes her experience of parenting a child who has experienced developmental trauma. Feelings of isolation and bewilderment are felt by parents particularly when they haven’t been able to obtain support easily. The debate about whether attachment difficulties in young children is “core business” for specialist CAMHS continues in some services, particularly in the face of greatly increasing referrals of older children with clear mental health disorder and difficulties determining thresholds into service and prioritisation.

Professor Jane Barlow outlines the emerging evidence base for interventions that improve attachment in young children and also highlights “the strong association between such disordered attachment patterns in young children and later problems”.  I know from my own clinical practice that taking a careful developmental history in an older young person presenting with an emotional difficulty, such as depression or self harm, often reveals concern about attachment relationships and behaviours early in life.  As the evidence base for what an effective intervention might be becomes clearer, the role of specialist CAMHS in prevention of longer term emotional difficulties, possibly by delivering some of these attachment based interventions, may also become clearer, as indeed may commissioning arrangements.

I do hope you find this edition helpful. This pdf has some of the articles from the Attachment edition of The Bridge, please feel free to share this and the direct links below with colleagues.