Working in children’s mental health research: the IVY study

Staff at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are recruiting young people aged 12 to 17 who have experienced psychiatric emergencies to take part in a trial which evaluates intensive community care services.

The IVY trial, which opened in 2022, is sponsored by King’s College London and is supported by the NIHR. Parental consent is required for children aged 12 -15. Those aged 16 to 17 can consent themselves.

Dr Tauseef Mehdi, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and the study’s principal investigator, explains more about the study.

Talk to your healthcare professional about taking part in research or search for studies seeking volunteers and sign up to be contacted about studies at Be Part of Research.

What is this research study about? 

At least 1 in 10 young people have a mental health disorder. The IVY study aims to examine the effectiveness of intense mental health support delivered by a dedicated young people's crisis service in the community following a crisis episode in comparison to treatment as usual, which is a continuation of pre-existing support before the crisis episode.

What does taking part involve?

Young people who have been referred to our mental health crisis service following a crisis episode are reviewed by the research team for suitability. Eligible young people are contacted to see if they wish to take part in the research. If yes, then the young person is offered a very detailed assessment and then randomly allocated to either intense community care or ongoing care with all support services. Participants are then reviewed in six months' time to see how they are getting on.

What motivates you to work in research? 

It is extraordinarily satisfying to deliver research, particularly a complex research design in an age group in whom research, in general, is very challenging. I love working within the research team with passionate colleagues and finding success in meeting our goals. It's amazing to see young people feeling good about contributing to research.

What would you say to people about considering whether to take part in research?

Your involvement matters more than you think. It matters a lot. Mental health specialists do not have enough convincing research evidence to guide clinicians about the best ways of supporting young people in crisis. The IVY research hopes to answer a very important question which can have an impact on the development of services globally as well as guiding important clinical decisions for the best chance of recovery.

Talk to your healthcare professional about taking part in research or search for studies seeking volunteers and sign up to be contacted about studies at Be Part of Research.