Children who are hearing voices offered support with new research study

Young people who are hearing voices could soon benefit from a new research study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. 

A group of Sussex researchers are partnering with universities and school mental health support teams to pilot a school-based programme to help young people in West Sussex who are hearing voices to access support more quickly.

The new research study called ECHOES (Evaluating a Coping intervention for Hearing voices in Young People in Secondary schools) has been developed by researchers at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, University of Sussex, and Thought-full (the provider of the Mental Health Support Teams in West Sussex). It is being supported by Clinical Research Network Kent, Surrey and Sussex. 

Professor Mark Hayward, Clinical Psychologist and Director of the Sussex Voices Clinic, is leading the study. He said: "We have been offering interventions in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for several years, and due to current service demands, young people often have to wait several months to receive an intervention.

“We developed the ECHOES study to support young people who are distressed by hearing voices to get help much more quickly and reduce the likelihood that they will require support from CAMHS in the future. We know that voice-hearing is common amongst young people but can be difficult to talk about. We want to show teachers, families and young people that talking about these experiences can be helpful.

“We're hopeful that trying to help earlier might make a real difference to the mental health of young people at this important time in their development."

The study will pilot the delivery of psychological interventions - originally developed within CAMHS - in schools, with an aim of increasing access and reducing waiting times for support. In addition to one-to-one sessions for the young person, workshops will be offered to the young person's support network, such as school staff, family members and friends. The feedback from these interventions will then be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot.

According to national charity the Voice Collective, 1 in 8 young people experience voice hearing, which for some can be comforting or humorous, but for others can be frightening and unsettling.

The study will deliver interventions to three groups of participants from selected secondary schools in West Sussex:

1. Students who have been referred to the study
2. Supporters (family members, friends, etc) who have been nominated by the students
3. School staff who have responsibilities for pastoral care of students.