HOUSTON – As we go back to school a lot of focus turns to children’s wellbeing and mental health.
According to the CDC, anxiety and depression affect almost 10% of kids 3 to 17-years-old.
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Mental health experts recommend talking about emotions. Labeling feelings from a young age by asking “are you feeling happy? What makes you sad?” can give kids a good start to emotional well-being.
Right now, an alarming number of our youth are dangerously dysregulated.
“That is a challenge with the just the number of kiddos that we’re seeing with higher acuity, meaning more severe mental illness, a lot of suicidal ideation, a lot meaning they’re thinking about suicide,” said Stacy Wilson with the Children’s Hospital Association of Texas (CHAT) “Texas Children’s over the last five years, as a matter of fact, has seen a 740% increase in the number of kids with mental health conditions in their emergency department, which is just astronomical.”
Suicide attempts, ideation, and self-injury are among the most common mental health conditions seen in children’s hospitals’ emergency departments right now, according to CHAT. As Texas’ population continues to grow, so does the volume of and severity of mental health conditions affecting our youth.
“We’re really seeing it under the age of 8, which a lot of people didn’t know or weren’t aware of,” Wilson said.
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Dr. Rebecca Beyda with UTHealth Houston said asking about emotional health is equal to the physical examination part of checkups nowadays.
“That’s one thing we saw a big increase during COVID that really hasn’t gone back to normal levels is increased anxiety and depression in our teens,” Dr. Beyda said. “So, this is definitely something we take seriously, and we want to screen them all and help provide them with resources.”
That’s why CHAT just submitted testimony to the House Select Committee on Youth Health & Safety on the importance of improving access to mental health care for children in Texas, especially those who rely on Medicaid.
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Wilson said the House committee is looking at children who are at risk of either going into the juvenile justice system or the foster care system, and the kids whose mental health issues have gone untreated and ultimately end up in the emergency department when there’s a crisis.
Providers who see kids in the community like counselors, social workers, psychologists, claim they’re not getting enough money from Medicaid cover their costs.
How would costs get covered by the government?
“There are a lot of funds that the legislature has dedicated to mental health. It really is through the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium, which reaches kids in schools, which is a great thing. They also help primary care providers have kind of a link to a psychiatrist at a medical school to give them some support,” Wilson explained. “But what we’re not seeing is for those kids who start to spiral and maybe start to head towards a crisis, there’s nowhere for them to go to avoid going to the emergency department.”
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Therefore, CHAT has asked legislators to specifically cover those services as part of the Medicaid plan.
“The two things that we are really looking for are getting those, those step up and step-down services covered by Medicaid and increasing outpatient rates, reimbursement rates for counselors and other providers in the community,” Wilson said.
Finding access to mental healthcare is a growing problem among all ages and demographics
For those with private insurance, Dr. Hiren Patel, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare Employer & Individual Plans of TX said:
“I also encourage families to get familiar with their resources. There may be various resources available in their community or through their health plan, including assistance with finding a quality mental health care provider, understanding what’s covered and virtual care or coaching options. Also, for older kids, many colleges and universities offer on-campus support services, 24/7 crisis support, virtual care, and access to self-care apps and wellness resources. Some student health plans, such as UnitedHealthcare Student Resources, offer students unlimited free virtual mental health visits.”
For those with private insurance, ask your employer about your Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Oftentimes, an EAP will offer several free sessions a year with designated counselors.