THE
THE DOG
THE DOG GO OUTSIDE AND TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A WALK WITH MOST KIDS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM
WE'RE GAINING AN UNDERSTANDING
OF THE STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH
FOR WASHINGTON CHILDREN.
DR. CHRIS LADISH, CHIEF
CLINICAL OFFICER OF MURRAY
BRIDGE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL IS
BACK TO TALK WITH US ABOUT THE
STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH FOR
CHILDREN, YOUTH AND TEENS AND
WAYS TO SHARE SOME THINGS TO
SUPPORT OUR KIDS.
GOOD MORNING, DR. LADISH.
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
DOING WELL.
GOOD MORNING.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE.
BUT LET'S START OFF WITH THIS
TOPIC AS WE MONDAY IS THE
DEADLINE FOR KIDS TO RETURN TO
IN-PERSON LEARNING IN OUR STATE
AND YOU AND YOUR TEAM ACTUALLY
PROVIDED DATA THAT GOVERNOR
INSLEE USED WHEN HE ORDERED
SCHOOLS TO REOPEN.
SO WHAT DID YOU TELL THE
GOVERNOR?
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT ALL
OF THAT?
YEAH, YOU KNOW, THIS EFFORT WAS
SPEARHEADED BY THE WASHINGTON
CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY
OF PEDIATRICS AND THEY WERE
ABLE TO PULL DATA FROM ALL THE
LOCAL CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS
THROUGHOUT OUR STATE AS WELL AS
OUR EMERGENCY ROOMS AND REALLY
WRITE A COMPELLING PICTURE
ABOUT THE VOLUME OF CHILDREN
THAT WE HAVE SEEN THROUGHOUT
THIS
THAT
THAT HAVE
THAT HAVE BEEN COMING TO OUR EMERGENCY ROOMS ESSENTIALLY AND IN SOME CASES
STAYING FOR QUITE SOME TIME
RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH
CRISES.
AND SO AT MARY BRIDGE, WHAT WE
CHOSE TO SHARE WAS THE SEVERITY
OF SOME OF WHAT THOSE CHILDREN
ARE STRUGGLING WITH WITH REGARD
TO SUICIDALITY AND SERIOUS
MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS AND WE
SUBMITTED DATA THAT UNDERSCORED
THAT WE'VE SEEN A 67 PERCENT
INCREASE BETWEEN MARCH WHEN THE
PANDEMIC REALLY STARTED IN
FEBRUARY OF THIS CURRENT YEAR
IN KIDS THAT ARE ACTUALLY
NEEDING TO BE ADMITTED FROM THE
EMERGENCY ROOM TO OUR MEDICAL
FLOR'S RELATED TO THE
SERIOUSNESS EITHER OF THEIR
HARMATTAN OR THEIR MENTAL
HEALTH CONDITION.
THOSE STATISTICS ARE COMPELLING
ENOUGH AS IT IS WHEN YOU LOOK
AT THE BREAKDOWN IT'S FURTHER
STRIKING 60 PERCENT OF THE
CHILDREN WERE WITHIN THE
TEENAGE AGE, 36 PERCENT WERE
MIDDLE SCHOOL AGE AND FOUR
PERCENT WERE WITHIN ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL AND THE DATA FROM THE
OTHER HOSPITALS WAS EQUALLY AS
COMPELLING.
AND SO I THINK WHAT GOVERNOR
INSLEE REALLY WAS ABLE TO SEE
FROM THAT WAS THAT THIS IS
REALLY AMPLIFIED THE ISSUES
THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR
SOME TIME IN PEDIATRIC MENTAL
HEALTH AND WHAT WE SAW AND
WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL TO SEE IN
HIS PROCLAMATION WAS THAT YOU
REFERRED TO THAT DATA AS ONE
OF THE COMPELLING REASONS TO
HAVE CHILDREN RETURNING BACK TO
SCHOOL.
I MEAN YOU SAID IT THERE ARE
THOSE NUMBERS ARE STAGGERING 60
PERCENT OF TEENS AGE 15 TO 18.
THAT'S A SCARY THOUGHT FOR
PARENTS.
I MEAN THAT'S SOMETHING I DID A
STORY A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO
TALKING TO A DOCTOR ABOUT THE
SAME TOPIC THEY'RE SEEING KIDS
LITERALLY LINING UP IN THE E.R.
BECAUSE OF MENTAL HEALTH
CRISIS.
I MEAN IT'S SCARY.
IT'S IT'S REALLY STAGGERING THE
NEED FOR CHILDREN'S MENTAL
HEALTH SERVICES IS OBVIOUSLY
BEEN GROWING THROUGH THE
PANDEMIC.
CAN YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND THE
GRAVITY OF THE NEED?
ABSOLUTELY.
LONG BEFORE THE PANDEMIC I
WOULD SAY AROUND 20 13, 20, 14
WE WERE SEEING INCREASED
INCIDENCE OF DEPRESSION IN
CHILDREN THROUGHOUT THE NATION.
YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY THE
STATISTICS THAT ARE REPORTED
ARE APPROXIMATELY ONE IN FIVE
YOUTH STRUGGLES WITH THE MENTAL
HEALTH CONDITION.
UNBELIEVABLY SUICIDE WHICH IS A
PREVENTABLE CONDITION IS THE
SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH
IN YOUTH RIGHT NOW AND I
BELIEVE THAT THAT'S CONTINUING
AN INCREASED CRISIS IN OUR
LOCAL COUNTY IN PIERCE COUNTY
WHERE MARY BRIDGE IS LOCATED.
TWENTY EIGHTEEN I BELIEVE IT
WAS YOU SURVEY IN THE SCHOOL
DISTRICTS FOUND THAT ONE IN
FOUR HIGH SCHOOLERS HAD
CONTEMPLATED SUICIDE WITHIN THE
PAST YEAR AT MURRAY BRIDGE
WE'VE SEEN BETWEEN TWENTY
FOURTEEN AND TWENTY EIGHTEEN
SAW FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT
INCREASE IN YOUTH THAT WERE
PRESENTING TO THE EMERGENCY
ROOM ONLY FOR MENTAL HEALTH
CONDITIONS.
SO NOT FOR A PHYSICAL ILLNESS
OR AN INJURY BUT PURELY FOR
MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES AND SO
THIS PANDEMIC HAS JUST REALLY
INTENSIVE.
I HAD A PREEXISTING CRISIS THAT
WAS NOT GETTING THE ATTENTION
ON THE CHILD SIDE THAT NEED IT.
I FEEL LIKE OUR KIDS HAVE BEEN
STRUGGLING FOR QUITE A LONG
TIME WITH ISSUES YOU KNOW,
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL
STRESS, VIOLENCE, RISK OF GUN
VIOLENCE, RACIAL TENSIONS,
BULLYING, CLIMATE CHANGE.
YOU KNOW, WE ALL KNOW THESE
THINGS WE COULD GO ON AND ON
AND I THINK IT'S CHALLENGING
ENOUGH JUST TO BE A KID THESE
DAYS BUT TO ADD THE PANDEMIC TO
IT, I THINK WHAT IT HAS DONE IS
IT HAS PULLED AWAY MANY OF THE
RESOURCES THAT HELP BOLSTER OUR
YOUTH FROM THE EFFECTS OF THOSE
OTHER THINGS.
THEY'VE LOST THEIR PEER SUPPORT
.
THEY'VE LOST THEIR STRUCTURE.
THEY'VE LOST OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES
.
THEY'VE LOST ACCESS TO THEIR
TEACHERS AND FOR REALLLY THE
MOST VULNERABLE YOUTH KIDS THAT
ARE LIVING IN FOOD INSECURITY
OR HOUSING INSECURITY, THEY'VE
LOST ACCESS TO SHELTER, FOOD,
REGULAR MEALS.
SO IT'S JUST STAGGERING AND
VERY, VERY CONCERNING.
AND THOSE OF US WHO ARE WORKING
IN THE FIELD HAVE BEEN WORKING
FOR A LONG TIME VERY HARD TO
TRY COME UP WITH SUGGESTIONS
AND SUPPORTS TO HELP ADDRESS
THIS CRISIS AND WE ARE JUST
ABOUT OUT OF TIME.
BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND THERE ARE RESOURCES
WE ARE GOING TO POST THEM ON
OUR WEBSITE TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE CAN GET THOSE RESOURCES TO
THE PEOPLE, THE KIDS, THE
FAMILIES THAT REALLY NEED THEM.
AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK
YOU, DR. CHRIS LADISH FOR BEING
HERE FOR TALKING