Philadelphia Pediatric Psychiatrist Testifies At Senate Finance Committee On Protecting Youth Mental Health
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The mental health crisis among American children during the pandemic is being addressed by the Senate Finance committee. A Philadelphia pediatric psychiatrist testified at the hearing Tuesday.
Rates of depression among children and teenagers are up dramatically since the pandemic and so are suicide attempts. It's worse for the minority community, where there's a disparity of resources for help.
It's an issue the Senate committee hopes to fix.
The pediatric mental health crisis is overflowing into hospital emergency departments, where there's been a dramatic increase in visits for children and teens between the ages of 5 to 17.
"In the first half of 2021 alone, we reported cases of self-injurious behavior and suicide in children ages 5 to 17 at 45%, higher rates than during the same period in 2019," Dr. Tami Benton said.
Benton, a psychiatrist-in-chief at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, testified to a Senate committee about barriers to mental health care and some solutions.
"Partnerships with schools, with primary care practices, with day care centers, afterschool programs and how do we provide more financial resources and people resources to make sure that young people can get what they need in those settings," Benton said.
Benton says there's a critical shortage of mental health providers and Medicaid, the primary source of coverage, needs to improve reimbursements.
"If we don't address the challenges we were experiencing before the pandemic, it will only continue to get worse," Benton said.
Research shows minority communities have been disproportionately hard hit by the pandemic with high rates of mental health issues and fewer resources and access to care, but Benton says there's still hope.
"I think that if we're thoughtful and we plan support for teachers, for schools, for families, that we can turn the tide and kids will do better," Benton said.
Prevention is an important part of addressing the mental health crisis. Doctors say school and community-based programs have been shown to improve the emotional well-being of children.
If you are feeling suicidal or having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. More information can be found at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and National Alliance on Mental Illness.
