Refers to a hospital unit or ward where people over the age of 18 are admitted.

This is another word for a hospital or in-patient unit that is registered with the Mental Health Commission to provide care and treatment to persons with a mental health difficulty.

Creative therapies like art, music or drama therapy can be used to help people express difficult feelings. These types of therapy are sometimes done in groups.

CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, pronounced “cams”. CAMHS is a specialist service for children and young people up to 18 years of age who are experiencing significant mental health difficulties or illness and need treatment from mental health professionals.

The people that are involved in your care and treatment. The team usually includes a number of different professionals to make sure your individual needs are met while in hospital. You might also hear them referred to as your treating team, your multi-disciplinary team or even just your ‘MDT’ for short. Check out pages 18 and 19 of this Toolkit to learn more about some of the people who might be part of your care team.

The Mental Health Commission has the power under the Mental Health Act to develop codes of practice. A Code of Practice is a set of guidelines that outline what steps health professionals and other staff working in mental health services should follow.

CBT is a type of talking therapy used to help people understand how they think about things and change any unhelpful behaviours.

This is about keeping your information (medical or other) private. In hospital, this means that your information should not be shared with anyone outside of your care team. If your care team wants to share your information with any other person, they must tell you first and should always explain why

This means to give or refuse permission. For more information on how consent works for young people in hospital, please see page 16 of this Toolkit.

Creative therapies like art, music or drama therapy can be used to help people express difficult feelings. These types of therapy are sometimes done in groups.

This is where you are being ‘detained’ by court in a hospital and means that you must go into, or stay in, hospital so that you can get the urgent treatment you need to help you get better. This happens when a team of mental health professionals (including one or two doctors) have looked at all your options and decided that hospital is the best place for you to be. According to the law, you must go into hospital even if you do not want to or you or your family disagree with the doctors’ decision. Also known as an ‘involuntary’ child.

Creative therapies like art, music or drama therapy can be used to help people express difficult feelings. These types of therapy are sometimes done in groups.

In family therapy, a therapist works with people in close relationships with each other, explores their views and helps to understand the problems they are having. It helps family members communicate better with each other and it can help families to change, develop and resolve conflict.

This is the organisation responsible for providing public health services in Ireland.

A plan for your care that is put in place when you go into hospital. It sets out what actions you and your care team will take to try to meet your mental health and other needs during your hospital stay. You should be involved in creating this plan as well as reviewing it regularly with your care team. Also known as ‘ICP’.

Inpatient is when you stay in hospital for a period of time to get care and treatment for your mental health.

This refers to whether you are in hospital on a voluntary basis (with your parents’ or guardians’ permission) or you are in hospital on an involuntary basis following a court order.

An organisation that regulates inpatient mental health services to make sure you are provided the best possible care and treatment while in hospital and to take all reasonable steps to protect the interests of persons detained under the Mental Health Act.

This is a term used in the Mental Health Act where a person has a mental illness and there is a serious risk that they may cause immediate and serious harm to themselves or others, or where they have a mental illness and their condition could get worse if they were not admitted to hospital for treatment, and going into hospital would be likely to improve their mental health significantly. 

The people that are involved in your care and treatment. The team usually includes a number of different professionals to make sure your individual needs are met while in hospital. Most of them are listed in the ‘People I might meet section’.

Creative therapies like art, music or drama therapy can be used to help people express difficult feelings. These types of therapy are sometimes done in groups.

This is when you are prevented from moving your body freely by another person or persons. Staff in hospital can restrain you physically in an emergency to make sure you don’t harm yourself or others. However, staff are not allowed to use mechanical devices like handcuffs to restrain you if you are under 18. The Mental Health Commission has a Code Practice on the use of restraint which all hospital staff should follow.

This is when you are placed or left in any room at any time, day or night, and are prevented from leaving that room. You can only be secluded in an emergency to stop you from harming yourself or others. The Mental Health Commission has Rules on the use of seclusion which all hospital staff must follow

Any medication, therapy, test, or care given to you with the aim of helping you feel better and to get better while in hospital.

This is an international agreement that lists the rights that all children and young people under the age of 18 have. Almost all countries in the world, including Ireland, have signed the UNCRC, and have made a promise that these rights will be made real for children and young people. If you would like more information about the UNCRC, please visit the Ombudsman for Children’s website.

This is an agreement between countries, including Ireland, that makes sure that persons with disabilities are treated equally and fairly. The UNCRPD notes that there are different types of disability – physical, sensory, intellectual, mental. This means that people with mental health difficulties have full rights under the UNCRPD. They should not be treated differently because of their mental health experiences.

A person who is receiving care and treatment in hospital with their parent(s)’ or guardians’ permission.