Parents struggle to find mental health services for children
Kokomo Tribune (IN)Oct 20, 2014
Her son had become enraged. He picked up the TV in the living room and threw it, trying to crush the 1-year-old child.
That's when Peters realized her son had a serious problem.
Psychiatrists confirmed what Peters suspected: Her son suffered from bipolar and explosive disorders, as well as anxiety and attention-deficit disorders.
The child needed help, but help was hard to find. It took two years after the diagnosis to get her son into a long-term residential program in
The story repeated over the years. Peters would find a long-term facility for her son, but after a few months he'd be back at home where his attempts to kill his little brother continued.
Peters said it got so bad that she sent her youngest son from their home in
Her son is now 10 years old, and his violent tendencies continue. Earlier this month he tried to stab a classmate. A few weeks later, he tried to kill himself.
Nowhere to go
Peters took the child to the local hospital in
The only hospital Peters could find with a bed available for a 10 year old was in
"I don't believe my son is the only child like this," she said. "I know there's got to be other parents out there struggling just as much to find help for their child."
Peters is right. Throughout the state, a dire shortage of inpatient services for children suffering from a mental illness and a national shortage of child psychiatrists has left families scrambling to find treatment.
In the end, many don't.
Nationally, only about 20 percent of children and adolescents with mental illnesses end up receiving some kind of mental health services, according to a 1999 study by the U.S. Surgeon General.
Of those who do see a professional, only a small fraction of them get an evaluation and treatment by a child and adolescent psychiatrist, the study reports.
It's a bad situation for families dealing with a child suffering from a severe mental illness, and it's one that has gotten worse in
Need help? Take a drive
In
Not anymore. Late last year, the hospital closed the unit due to what hospital officials said were inconsistent referrals.
Now, any child under the age of 15 who needs inpatient care must travel outside the county for help. The closest facilities are located in
"It puts a big burden on the family to transport their kid who's probably having a crisis to Indy or
"Clinics are cutting back because there just isn't enough money in it," he said. "And from a cost-analysis standpoint, who can blame them? But it comes with a steep trade off: a serious lack accessibility."
In
But for kids in crisis who need treatment in a hospital with clinical supervision, the only option is to jump in the car and drive.
But, he said, the resources exist at community facilities to offer more services to children.
"I would love it we could offer the whole package of mental health services in this county, and I think we have the infrastructure to do it," he said. "There's no reason why in a community with two hospitals we can't offer the same services as any other county in the state."
Shortage of child psychiatrists
Although children can get into outpatient mental-health or therapy services without much of a wait in
In fact, there's only four child psychiatrists in the county. Two are employed at Community Howard.
Compared to most counties, that's high. Out of
"Psychiatrists are rare these days, and child psychiatrists are even rarer," said Dr.
The numbers tell the story. In 2012, there were approximately 8,300 practicing child and adolescent psychiatrists in the country, according to the
However, the need was projected to be 30,000 by 2000, according to a report by the
The need is only going to get more severe.
Even with four child psychiatrists employed in
"In that time of waiting, there's a whole lot of bad stuff that could happen to a child," said clinical therapist Wilka.
No end in sight
IU Professor Emeritus Schmetzer said the school can graduate up to four child psychiatrists through a specialized program, but that's still woefully inadequate the meet the need for services.
The lack of child psychiatrists is a problem
"It's become difficult to recruit and attract child psychiatrists to our sized community," he said. "It didn't use to be that difficult 20 years ago ... Now, our coverage for children and adolescents is shaky at best."
Family Psychiatric Center's Michel said it's difficult to convince students to spend up to eight years in school to become a child psychiatrist. They graduate with up to
"If you're smart enough to be a doctor, you're smart enough to do other things," he said. "So why would you become a child psychiatrist when you could specialize in something that paid you way more money?"
If he starts getting the treatment he needs now, she said he might just have a chance at a normal life when he grows up.
But with the shortage of psychiatrists and long-term treatment options in
"Right now, he's in such a state that he shouldn't be out in the public," Peters said. "But that's the problem. There's nowhere for these kids, and they're just going to grow up to be bigger, stronger and meaner. The state needs to nip this in the bud before all that happens."
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