The transition into adult care

The authors have previously referred to the transition into adult mental health services from child and adolescent services as ‘Mind the gap’. In this article they discuss the reasons for this gap and potential ways of avoiding it. They then consider a few of the most common child and adolescent disorders where the gap is significant, and include case examples, suggestions and ‘policies’ that may help reduce the discontinuities. Finally, they suggest the way forward with joint educational teaching across our training schemes ‘from cradle to grave’, to break down the interfaces between our services for the future and to ‘demystify’ the differences between us.