Transition from child and adolescent mental health care to adult services for young people with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Europe: Barriers and recommendations

Transition in mental health care is the process ensuring continuity of care of a young patient arriving at the CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) age boundary within mental health services. Transition refers to a transfer to an adult mental health service (AMHS), to private care or other mental health community services. A transition plan can also lead to a managed end of specialized care with involvement of a general practitioner or social services. For young people with a diagnosis of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), two disorders that persist into adulthood, an optimal transition would ensure continuity of care or facilitate access to specialized care in the case of a discharge. Transition typically occurs during adolescence, a known sensitive period when young people may experience major changes at several levels: physiological, psychological and social. Any barrier in the transition process resulting in discontinuity of care may worsen the symptoms of ADHD or ASD and can ultimately adversely affect the global mental health of young people with such neurodevelopmental disorders. The objectives of this narrative review are: 1/to identify the barriers in the transition process in mental health services often faced by young people with these two disorders; 2/to highlight specific recommendations for strengthening the CAMHS-AMHS interface that have been proposed by various countries in Europe. (c) 2022 avec/sans hyperactivite (TDAH) ou de Trouble du spectre de l'autisme (TSA), deux troubles qui persistent a l'age adulte, une transition menee de fac , on optimale et assurant la continuite des soins ou facilitant le retour au soins specialises en cas de besoin est cruciale, notamment parce qu'elle a lieu a l'adolescence, periode sensible constituee de nombreux bouleversements sur le plan physiologique, psychologique, et social. Tout obstacle dans ce processus peut entrainer la discontinuite des soins avec des consequences deleteres sur la sante de l'individu et l'aggravation de ses symptomes. Cette revue narrative a pour objec-tifs 1/d'identifier les obstacles rencontres au cours de la transition par les patients avec TDAH ou TSA; 2/de recenser les recommandations specifiques elaborees en Europe pour ameliorer l'interface entre la pedopsychiatrie et les services de psychiatrie concernant ces deux troubles du neurodeveloppement. (c) 2022