According to this new national study released earlier this month, youth mental health care continues to be painfully inaccessible to many families in the United States. While the youth mental health crisis has been the focus of numerous headlines recently, almost one in four children who are in need of youth mental health care are receiving no treatment whatsoever. Due to barriers such as long waitlists and limited insurance coverage, most parents say they cannot find a child specialist (especially in rural areas) to provide them with care.
The researchers analyzed survey data from over 173,000 households and found that the youth mental health care gap exists across all income levels; however, the greatest difference can be seen among those families with low income or families with children of color. Although many parents are able to access an initial evaluation for their child, the inability to continue receiving consistent follow-up mental health care is often due to prohibitive costs, scheduling difficulties and/or a shortage of available providers. A delay in receiving youth mental health services can result in lost opportunity for the child experiencing anxiety disorder, depression, ADHD and/or the effect of experiencing trauma, such as failing grades; withdrawal from social activities and/or a crisis in the home.
According to clinicians, Children’s Mental Health, treated early, is humane and cost effective because when we provide services to kids early, we reduce the need for emergency room visits, decrease school suspensions, and limit the risk of long term disability for children. Yet parents still feel like they are on their own with school meetings, insurance appeals, and traveling long distances to see specialists.
Advocacy organizations are using this newly available data to support policy change—more school-based services; improving insurance enforcement; and expanding telehealth systems to youth’s mental health care. For parents, the results of the study will be bittersweet; they will see that many other parents have been through the same struggles, but will want to push the system to move faster to make youth’s mental health care a right, rather than a privilege.
Source: U.S. News / HealthDay – Gaps in Children’s Mental Health Care
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