When should a teenager be referred to CAMHS?
Written by the clinical team at The Lyceum Clinic. Clinically reviewed by Sanah Younis, Founder and Clinical Director, BABCP-accredited (no. 1000792). Published 28 October 2026. Last reviewed 28 October 2026.
Clinical perspective: The Lyceum's specialist therapist for teenagers.
Where there is an active and severe eating disorder, active psychosis, or a level of risk that needs daily or inpatient oversight. Private outpatient CBT is not set up to hold risk at that level, and the right advice is an urgent GP referral.
Why we say so directly
A clinic that takes on work it cannot safely hold does more harm than one that says no in the first conversation.
What to ask the GP for
An urgent referral to specialist CAMHS services, or to a specialist eating disorder service where that is the presenting problem.
For more detail, read about anxiety therapy.
What we can still do
Where the risk is managed elsewhere, there is often a place for structured outpatient work alongside it. That is a conversation worth having rather than assuming the door is closed.