If a child breaks an arm, we take her to the hospital to have the bone reset. We smile as she proudly shows off her cast, a mark of courage and resilience. When the bone heals, we move on with our lives.
If a child gets cancer, we take him to an oncologist for a treatment plan. We lean on friends and family during the most trying times. We rejoice at news of remission, or we may grieve openly if the news is bad.
But when a child has a mental illness, chances are, we hide. We hesitate to tell our closest friends that our daughter has violent tantrums that scare our other children – and us. We don’t talk about the challenge of finding community resources, the countless trips to the hospital, or the long waits in the emergency department.
We can be very much afraid, and feel very much alone.
As president and CEO of CHOC Children’s, I see children in need every day. Helping them heal inspires me and my colleagues to come to work.
But even I didn’t fully appreciate the magnitude of the pediatric mental health crisis until Pastor Rick and Kay Warren, founders of Saddleback Church, came to me to discuss this silent epidemic. The statistics are staggering: An estimated one in five children has a diagnosable mental illness in childhood, and 50 percent of adults with mental health problems experience symptoms before age 14. Early intervention is critical, but many communities, including our own, have no beds to treat our youngest mental health patients.
The Warrens experienced these inadequacies firsthand as they tried to help their son manage severe depression beginning when he was only 7 years old. Three years ago, as a young adult, he took his own life. His death was tragic, and it sparked a new beginning for
Pastor Rick and Kay, who are passionate about resolving the pediatric
mental health crisis and reducing the stigma around mental illness so
others don’t have to live through the same pain.
I
left that meeting resolved to make CHOC a leader in developing a
comprehensive pediatric system of care. We sprung to action immediately,
and we are starting to see results.
In
addition to expanding outpatient services and hiring additional
specialty staff members, including pediatric psychologists and pediatric
psychiatrists, we will soon break ground on our Mental Health Inpatient
Center, a safe, nurturing place for children ages 3 to 18 to receive
care. It will provide 18 inpatient beds and specialty programming for
children younger than 12. Building the center is our boldest step to
date toward addressing the drastic lack of services for children with
mental illness, but it is just one part of our plan. Perhaps the more
daring aspect, and the one we hope will be replicated in other areas, is
the framework we are creating for addressing pediatric, teen and
adolescent mental health care from every angle.
Our
mental health task force, comprised of community, business and health
care leaders, are working on solutions: bolstering outpatient mental
health care services throughout the county, working with community
partners to establish new programs, increasing the mental health
workforce and offering specialty training, engaging in advocacy to
increase education and awareness about mental health problems, and
providing prevention and early intervention services for children and
adolescents with mental health problems.
The
responsibility for helping children with mental illness isn’t incumbent
on their families alone: We all play a part in helping them heal. CHOC
is proud to lead the way and assure them they don’t need to be afraid;
they are no longer alone.
To learn more about CHOC’s mental health system of care, visit www.choc.org/mentalhealth.
– Kimberly Chavalas Cripe President and CEO of Children’s Hospital Orange County
