More Than Half The Population of Kids Who Need Mental Health Care DO NOT Receive It
The mental health care industry is in trouble.
The state of mental health care has always been wobbly. Back in the 1940’s nurses were taught how to encourage women to wear makeup to sure their sadness and today the rhetoric around mental health has been widely politicized in conversations surrounding gun control, LGBTQIA+ humans, and as always…women identifying people.
Literally minority groups and children have no where to turn and are often those who need the most mental health care. Don’t take my word for it, just listen to what John Oliver has to say from Last Week Tonight…it’s a lot to unpack.
On average, kids are waiting DAYS in the ER for mental health care during their time of crisis. This shit is a national EMERGENCY. According to StatNews, “When children are identified as high risk of causing harm to themselves or someone else, they cannot safely return home. These children may need to wait in the emergency room for hours or even days until they can see a specialist or be transferred to an appropriate psychiatric facility.
“We would never let a child with diabetes wait for a week to see an endocrinologist and start their insulin,” said Lois Lee, a physician at Boston Children’s Hospital not involved in the study. “However, we are letting these children wait for a week to get the care they need.”
So WTF is up with us allowing our children to sit for DAYS in the ER. I’m not exaggerating when I say days either. Just listening to this story from a family whose 14 year-old waited 27 days for mental health care in the ER.
In Massachusetts, a 10 year-old girl waited FIVE WEEKS. FIVE WEEKS to be accepted into inpatient care. The conditions so many of these children are stuck in are unbearable and causing more damage to their mental health.
When a child enters into the ER in crisis, they are being committed to a process called “boarding.” During this process they sit and wait in the ER with no therapy, no counseling services, no school, no entertainment–NOTHING. That 10 year-old girl? When her mom came by to visit her during the day and check in with her, she mentioned all she does is stare at the wall because there’s nothing else to do.
Here are some other people’s stories:
These stories are NOT uncommon and these are coming from adults. Just imagine for a moment what it’s like to be a parent with an at-risk kiddo desperately searching for mental health care for them and having absolutely no resources.
If your child, or anyone, is experiencing a mental health emergency, such as suicidal ideation, that calls for immediate assistance. The new suicide and crisis lifeline number to dial is 988, though, as The Times reported in July, there are some concerns that it, too, may not have adequate staffing everywhere in the country.
ICYMI
If you have a kiddo waiting for mental health care, check out Canada non-profit Anxiety Canada’s app MindShift.
Check out this episode of Social Media Therapy where I interviewed a teen about her ADHD and how she manages her anxiety and depression online.
Watch John Oliver’s monologue about the state of mental health care in America.
Check out the newest merch available in the Mental Health is Magic store. 25% of all proceeds go to NAMI and youth mental health scholarships.
This Week on the Gram
THE FOUR MAIN CAUSES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND SCHIZOAFFECTIVE DISORDER
Learn some more information about these rare mental illnesses.
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