Kids in Crisis: Children are facing a deficit in mental health resources
BALTIMORE — Talking about your mental health is a tough conversation, but it is critical. Because ignoring your struggles will just make you feel worse.
Our kids are struggling right now; whether they're stressed about school, friends, or social media. WJZ learned how children are not getting the help they need because of a drastic lack of available resources.
Since she was young, Mary Lawal has struggled with mental health conditions, including depression. Once, when she was in crisis, her mother rusher her to the hospital.
"When I got to the ER, it was a struggle because I had to wait for 13 hours to get the help I needed," she says.
For 13 hours, she says she could not get access to a counselor or a psychiatrist.
"I ended up crying and kept having breakdowns," she says. "What's the point of going to the hospital if I wasn't able to get that help? Where else am I supposed to seek help from?"
Sara Arndt is with Nami Baltimore, part of the National Alliance for Mental Illness. She describes how mental health resources are being stretched thin, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. There are many barriers to getting help: long wait times at emergency rooms, overbooked therapists, and insurance or cost of care.
"There's not enough providers out there. There aren't enough social workers. There aren't enough therapists. There aren't enough counselors. And so folks aren't getting into the door where they need treatment," she says.
Arndt says typically there is an 11 year gap between the onset of symptoms and getting treatment. It's important to reach out to our kids when they're as young as 16-years-old, so they know help is available.
"It's critical to shorten that gap of 11 years. Because we want folks to live healthy fulfilling lives, even with a mental health condition. We want to start the conversation early," Arndt says.
Dr. Drew Pate, Chief of Psychiatry at LifeBridge Health, says young people are more open about their mental health issues and accepting of treatment.
"The constant stress of social media pressure for many of them, school stress, the stress of figuring out what to do in the future. And that all can bring about mental health issues," he says.
According to Dr. Pate, springtime, specifically March and April, is when they see the highest numbers of people presenting with mental health issues or attempting to harm themselves.
"As parents and caregivers, our goal is not to take away distress, or to make sure someone is happy all the time, that's not a reasonable human experience. We all have difficult times," he says. "Our goal is to help our young people ensure they can manage their feelings and have appropriate outlets for those feelings, so they don't overwhelm them."
Mary is now studying psychology so one day when someone else is in crisis, she can help.
"I know what it's like to deal with that loneliness and not have anyone to talk to," she says. "I want to be that voice. I want to be that person that people can call on."
NAMI Baltimore has an "Ending the Silence" program to educate teens about their mental health. The organization also has tools for parents to help care for your child's mental health. If you'd like to learn more, visit NamiBaltimore.org