The Good Mental Health Handbook has been developed by Hampshire CAMHS and parents/carers. Within its pages, it contains information, short videos, and workshops to support our children’s mental health challenges including anxiety, bereavement, depression, self-harm, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sexuality, substance misuse and trauma.


The Good Mental Health Handbook is a one-stop shop of practical resources, strategies and activities to help the whole family navigate some of the most delicate and sensitive issues facing families today.

What Is Mental Health?

Mental health refers to our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. We all have mental health. Our mental health affects how we think, feel, and act. It also impacts how we cope, interact, and form relationships with others, as well as our daily functioning.

Our mental health can vary and be dependent on several factors which may include:

  • The number of demands and stressors we have
  • Our physical health
  • Significant life events
  • How much sleep we get
  • Relationships with other people
  • Our diet/ nutritional intake
  • Environmental, societal and cultural factors
  • How much we engage in leisure activities, hobbies and interests