The formative years of childhood and adolescence shape the course of future mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with increased mental health problems in young people. This study aimed to examine changes in referrals and clinical activity in a child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) in Qatar following the pandemic.

To explore changes in referral trends and clinical activity in CAMHS, including referral numbers, reasons, sources, demographics, urgency and multidisciplinary team (MDT) allocation, comparing pre-pandemic (2019) with post-pandemic periods (2021, 2022).

A retrospective analysis of referral data from CAMHS was conducted. Data were collected from the administrative paper data archived in the relevant department for the years 2019, 2021 and 2022. Referral data included: source, reason, urgency, patient demographics and outcome. Chi-square analysis was employed to compare referral trends and patient characteristics across the 3 years. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with urgent referrals.

A significant increase in referrals was observed post-pandemic, with notable changes in referral reasons (increased mood and anxiety disorders), sources (increased referrals from public and private hospitals) and urgency (higher proportion of urgent referrals). MDT allocation shifted towards psychiatrists, with a decrease in joint assessments.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on CAMHS referrals and clinical activity in Qatar. The observed changes highlight the urgent need for additional resources and services. Adapting service delivery models and strengthening collaboration between healthcare sectors are crucial to addressing the evolving mental health needs of children and adolescents effectively.

To examine antidepressant prescribing in a general medical hospital in the UK. The data used were extracted from a prescription database prospectively maintained by the hospital pharmacy. All prescriptions of antidepressants over a five-year period, both new and continuation, were recorded.

During the study period there were 2037 prescriptions of tricyclic antidepressants. Only 18% of these prescriptions were at conventional therapeutic doses. This compared with 773 prescriptions of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, 70% of which were at conventional therapeutic doses. It is shown that antidepressants were prescribed at a dose in accordance with the smallest tablet size available.

We suggest that reformulation of tablets to allow one tablet daily prescribing may lead to improved antidepressant prescribing.