Diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems in individuals suffering from deafness or severe hearing impairment poses particular challenges. This is recognised for adults by the provision of specialised services based in London, Birmingham and Manchester but for children and adolescents there is only a specialised out-patient service based at Springfield Hospital in London which has itself only been in existence two years. This day conference of invited hearing and non-hearing professionals held in Birmingham in October 1994 considered how appropriate services might further develop.