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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, thus CAMHS

58 replies

chocolatelife · 18/04/2015 10:46

Why do posters insists on calling it CAHMS?

is it so it is untraceable?

OP posts:
MellieGrant · 18/04/2015 10:49

It's because it's easier, which is pretty obvious.

Selks · 18/04/2015 10:50

No, it's just easy to miss-spell. I work in CAMHS and believe me I see the spelling mangled everywhere, even by other services that should know better (eg CHAMS, CAMMS, etc.....).

fluffymouse · 18/04/2015 10:50

It is the part of a general fetish for abbreviations that people have on mumsnet. I find it bleeding annoying as I don't know what half of them stand for.

Selks · 18/04/2015 10:50

How is it easier to spell it wrongly? Not obvious to me!

chocolatelife · 18/04/2015 10:52

oh thanks
it's a mistake?
it is pretty common, I have also worked in CAMHS so perhaps that is why I Know it is wrong but I have seen it on Facebook too

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chocolatelife · 18/04/2015 10:52

me neither Selks

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chocolatelife · 18/04/2015 10:53

Then I get irritated by CAMHS Services, when just leave the Services out of the sentance

OP posts:
shewept · 18/04/2015 10:53

Because people make typos and mistakes.

howlongwillthesunlast · 18/04/2015 11:02

The abbreviation is nothing to with 'MN' it is the official NHS abbreviation for the service, much like 'NHS' itself.

If it's the misspelling that's being alluded to, then just like a previous poster said, it's just an easy word/acronym to misspell.

chocolatelife · 18/04/2015 12:13

just me being pedantic i guess.
if you do a search on CAHMS you will see lots of threads.

OP posts:
thornrose · 18/04/2015 12:16

It's so mind blowingly obvious it's either a typing error or just a mistake!

DishwasherDogs · 18/04/2015 12:21

When we were referred it was never referred to as children and adolescent mental health services, only as CAMHS. If I hadn't looked into it or properly looked at the headed notepaper, I probably would have spelt it CAMS or CAHMS.
It's an easy acronym to get wrong, but I don't think it's a big deal.

splodgeses · 18/04/2015 12:21

I think MellieGrant misunderstood slightly, not noticing your main gripe is with the misspelling of the abbreviation rather than with the abbreviation itself.

Basically, she thought you were asking "Why do posters call it CAMHS?"
Not, "Why do posters keep mistakenly calling CAMHS, CAHMS?"

HTH

EllenJanesthickerknickers · 18/04/2015 12:35

Because it's pronounced, cams? You can't really pronounce CAMHS, 'camhus?' Whereas CAHMS woud be pronounced cams. So easy mistake to make.

x2boys · 18/04/2015 13:38

Because that's what everybody calls it that's what its known as.

Redwineplease42 · 18/04/2015 16:00

Its easier for the children attending.My teen doesn't mind saying she has a CAMHS appointment rather than say mental health appointment. Stigma attached at that age CAMHS sounds less clinical!

chocolatelife · 18/04/2015 16:25

no, I mean CAMHS, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service,

is correct

CAHMS Does NOT make sense but is very often referred to. It irks me

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itsnotmeitsyou1 · 18/04/2015 16:34

I refer to it as SHIT. However, yes CAMHS is usually abbreviated incorrectly due to the fact that when spoken it's 'cams', spelling mistakes are easily made. Most people know to which service you are referring to. I didn't realise that it wasn't the norm to abbreviate it, most health professionals I've come across refere to it as the shorthand version.

LindyHemming · 18/04/2015 16:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

chocolatelife · 18/04/2015 16:41

I know Grin

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chocolatelife · 18/04/2015 16:42
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chinam · 18/04/2015 16:49

I'd say it's because by the time people get to needing the services of CAMHS the correct abbreviation is the last thing on their mind.

Goldmandra · 18/04/2015 16:54

I'd say it's because by the time people get to needing the services of CAMHS the correct abbreviation is the last thing on their mind.

Couldn't agree more.

As long as people know what is being referred to does it really matter?

Lavenderice · 18/04/2015 17:05

This is not a mumsnet abbreviation it was always called CAMHS, even the people who worked there called it that. It's now called CYPS (pronounced sips) which stands for Children and Young People's Service, because the service users disliked the 'mental health' bit of it.

chocolatelife · 18/04/2015 17:09

This is not a mumsnet abbreviation it was always called CAMHS,

I know that.

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