Bernadka Dubicka, Chair of child and adolescent psychiatry, Hull York Medical School.
As well as her role at HYMS, Bernadka is also consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust and honorary chair Manchester Academic Health Sciences, University of Manchester.
Bernadka trained in child and adolescent psychiatry in London and Manchester, completing an MD on adolescent depression in 2009 for which she was awarded a gold medal.
She is a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) and was Chair of its Child and Adolescent Faculty between 2017 and 2021.
She's currently the Chief Investigator for a trial of blended behavioural activation for depression in CAMHS (BAY trial).
email: bernadka.dubicka@hyms.ac.uk
Our 60-second interview with Bernadka:
What do you do in the field of mental health?
I am a practising child and adolescent psychiatrist, and research the treatment of teenage depression. I have been involved in national policy and media work, including areas such as the ecological crisis and social media, through the Royal College of Psychiatrists. I am the editor in chief for the Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, where we promote evidence based practice for clinicians.
What do you find most rewarding and inspiring in this work?
Working with so many amazing colleagues and trainees across Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and academia, and the chance to help young people in their recovery and to support them in making their voices heard. I have worked with some really inspiring young people in areas like the ecological crisis and mental health, who are determined to bring about change.
What is the most challenging or complicated aspect of this work?
The short term thinking of too many politicians - we need to invest in children and young people not only for their sakes, but also for a future healthy and prosperous nation. Children are rarely at the heart of policy decisions, have no vote and little voice. Our current workforce crisis in CAMH services and academia makes my heart sink, particularly as we lose so many potential female leaders, through the ongoing obstacles they face – taking retention seriously and increasing diversity and representation across the workforce is vital if we are to move forward.
What impact do you hope your work is having- or can potentially have?
I have campaigned on the effects of poverty, social media, and the ecological crisis on young people’s mental health, as well as the crisis in CAMHS workforce, consulting to Parliamentary Committees, legislation such as the Online Safety Bill, and college reports. I have highlighted young people’s voices through all my work and hope that by ongoing co-production, together we can better effect change. Our current trial, if successful, will hopefully show that we can train junior clinicians to give blended therapy to depressed young people in CAMHS, and therefore increase access to therapy to more young people who are languishing on waiting lists. I continue to promote evidence based clinical practice and policy making through my journal, where I introduced regular debates on current topics where there is uncertainty or disagreement, such as tech companies sharing data for independent research. I have commissioned special issues of the journal to highlight areas of importance to young people’s mental health, such as the upcoming issue on inequalities.
Could you share with us one piece of advice that you follow for your own mental health?
Switch off, connect with nature, and make time for yourself and your family.