Last December, the U. S surgeon general issued a rare public advisory
warning of a quote devastating mental health crisis among American
teens. Symptoms of depression and anxiety for Children and adolescents
have doubled during the Covid 19 pandemic.
But special correspondent Cat Wise reports on why accessing mental
health treatment is so difficult for so many and a warning. These
next segments include explicit references to suicide.
My name is Chelsea. I'm with youth Villages. Mobile crisis. I'm just
gonna ask you some questions. Okay? Have you ever tried to hurt yourself?
Thank you any self farm like cutting, burning or scratching for counselors
at this youth Crisis hotline in Knoxville, Tennessee. It's a busy
morning during another busy week. Is he on any medications? The hotline
averages more than 1000 calls a month. How often does this behavior
occur? It's run by Youth Villages, a nonprofit founded in 1986 that
works with Children who have serious emotional, mental and behavioral
health issues in 23 states
called us about
About some concerns. I just want to make sure that you're okay. Homicidal
threats been since all this happened or was that prior rock
is the organization's program director for Crisis services in Tennessee.
Last fiscal year has been our highest
Volume on record. What do you make of that?
Kids are hurting. Their families are struggling and our community
is
having trouble meeting the needs that need, which was already growing
prior to the pandemic is hitting families across the nation.
70% of U. S counties don't have a child psychiatrist and more than
60% of youth, who report having severe major depression are not receiving
any mental health treatment.
I didn't know.
Where to go? I didn't know
Who to call
When she tried to hurt herself. I took her to the hospital.
It was all I knew to do.
Peggy Patrick has been carrying for her 16 year old granddaughter,
Jackie said she was a baby in the rural town of New Tazewell, Tennessee,
she says around the age of 12 Jackie started changing from an outgoing
and friendly child, too withdrawn and often depressed. I thought
Hormones, you know?
And I even told her that
Guess I tried to convince her
That this was a phase.
Was there a moment you can recall when
You know you thought that
we need some help here. This This is not, you know, normal.
I do.
She started cutting herself.
G attempted suicide.
And
When she would attend so sad.
Of course, I take her to the hospital. Jackie's story is unfortunately
becoming more common. Nationwide. Emergency room visits for suspected
suicide attempts are up 51% for adolescent girls since 2019.
And one in three high school students report having persistent feelings
of sadness or hopelessness. Has it been difficult to find, Um
Mental health help for Jackie.
Good mental health. Yes, it's been hard. I had a list of people.
That I thought
Would help her.
Ah, A lot of them was too far away for us. We couldn't get there.
A lot of them wouldn't take the insurance.
I mean,
You're helpless. Over the last four years, the family struggled to
find a consistent therapist for Jackie, most for nearly an hour away
by car and treatment. Options in the area are limited for teenagers
and often can be difficult to access.
Jackie told us she once waited a month for a bed to open in a long
term inpatient facility. Nationally, the number of residential treatment
facilities for youth has fallen by 30% since 2012.
I am a very bad over thinker. So I'm all the time thinking of worst
scenarios that could go wrong and how things might
Just just end badly in any way past war. Jackie says she's speaking
out about her mental health in hopes of helping other teenagers.
I mean, I was always bullied as a kid. I don't have many friends.
Now as it is, I never got invited to do stuff with my friends. You
know, even if they did consider me as a friend, I didn't get invited
to
To go hang out that weekend or to go to the poor to the park. Anything
like that. So I kinda have like a fear of missing out. And also there
was always the stigma of like, you know, on tiktok and stuff like
that. There's a pretty girl image and I feel like that hates at all.
And a lot of people. Do you tell me about that sort of what happened
in those days?
Well, they're either I entered up in May so farming or me trying
to kill myself again, So and those are very scary. Tom's How many
times did you attempt suicide?
About four
After her most recent attempt. Earlier this year, Jackie was connected
to a youth villages crisis team. She was then placed into what's
known as their intercept program and paired with family intervention
specialist Samantha Davis. Mayes.
You're going to let you be the driver on this one. Okay. So formal,
calming Georgia. I think I want to make it more happy place. Okay,
so I've got a happy place. Yes, Every day Davis Mayes visits families
like Jackie's across the sprawling section of East Tennessee meeting
Jackie for the first time and coming into the home and just sitting
with her. It was
She just looked like she had a long she had walked a long journey.
She was tired, and she was just she was crying out for a I need some
help. Villages, says The intercept program works with about 11,000
families and more than a dozen states
had the cycle education on trauma and stress responses with the family.
The goal to bring mental health services directly to the homes of
families who need it. Most.
The services include visits three times a week from specialists like
Davis, Mayes and regular consultations with not only at risk youth
but also parents and guardians. A lot of parents have never had to
deal with this before. This is new. Sydney. Earl is a clinical supervisor
for the intercept program. We work with a family in their home.
Right where they're comfortable and identifying the root of whatever
the problems maybe, and figuring out how to collaboratively solve
those together one of the first steps for families
Locking everything up in their homes that could be potentially dangerous.
So this is your lockbox.
This is
everything I need is all down in here.
One and then peeled potatoes or
Get a parasail is er Zor
Have to unlock the box and I have another one over there. It's got
some stuff in it. But Patrick admits this initially felt a little
bit invasive, but it's worth it.
It's worth it to keep your kids safe. Let me just get this situated
in our system, and then I'll get some information from me. Okay?
Is he currently safe? Right now? Villages funds its crisis hotline
through the Tennessee Department of Mental Health.
And for many families like Jackie's. These intensive in home services
are funded through the state's Medicaid program. Today, Jackie says
the help has come at a crucial moment.
And that her mental health is now in a far better place. Eventually,
I was I gave myself the opportunity to say I want help, and I feel
like I finally opened my eyes and said that I wanted something better
for me, and I wanted a better life for me.
Jackie says she is also speaking out to help parents and guardians
know how to talk to their kids about mental health. I feel like every
parent resource center that can extensively I feel like a big question
that needs to be honest is are you really okay? Now? Are you doing
okay? Or is there anything I can do for you know? Are you really
okay? And I think
More parents need to have a sit down conversation with their kid
and make it known that they care and that they're there to listen
advice that now seems more urgent than ever for the PBS news hour.
I'm Cat wise in New Tazewell, Tennessee.