Challenging Social Work Epistemology in Children's Mental Health: The Connections Between Evidence-Based Practice and Young People's Psychiatrisation

Broadly, social work epistemology-what we know and how we know what we know-in child and adolescent mental health is dominated by professional discourses about the merits of evidence-based practice (EBP). As an approach to client-work and professional decision making, EBP is promoted as 'the' standard for an effective, efficient and ethical practice. Yet, as a discipline, have we failed to consider the ways our adoption of EBP may inadvertently contribute to potentially harmful social constructions of young people and their experiences of distress? Particular to mental health work, have we failed to consider the ways EBP may contribute to young people's psychiatrisation and the stigma of mental illness? Towards answering these questions, the purpose of this paper is to explore social work's epistemology and adoption of EBP in children's mental health against the backdrop of psychiatrisation and stigma. In two parts, first, we review the principles of EBP and the application to children's mental health. Second, we examine the particular social constructions to emerge about young people and their experiences of distress and how they relate to psychiatrisation and stigma. We conclude with a call for social justice research to inform social work practice.