These statistics come from NAMI, or the National Alliance on Mental Illness
Despite effective treatment, there can be long delays - sometimes decades - between first appearance of symptoms and when people actually get help.
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I created this blog to help create a greater awareness of mental health issues in teens, and in general, but I want to do more then just create and raise awareness. I wanna make a bigger impact in hopes that we have less teens thinking that they have to commit suicide because there is no other way, and here is what I want to do to make that happen.
One of the many reasons that teens don't get the treatment that they need is because insurance companies don't cover the treatments. This is because Insurance companies only pay for things that are "medically necessary," meaning that someone has to officially diagnose you with a mental illness and it has to be proven that it is impacting you on a daily basis.
They will tell you that "a quote for benefits does not guarantee payment...," so you can be told that you are covered, even given an authorization number, and still be denied. They will also only approve only a certain number of sessions. If it is necessary or it is highly recommended you continue treatment after you meet that number, you can make a claim to be reimbursed for the out-of-pocket treatment pay. Insurance companies will often deny your claim or can take months for them to reimburse you. This lengthy time period can interrupt treatment or create a "claw back," where they can take an allotted amount of time to reimburse you. It is a possibility that some people might end up having to leave their therapist, sometimes without paying simply because they can't afford it. Leaving your therapist like this can cause them to come to you for any payments in need of paying off because you are ultimately responsible for the fees. One thing that you can do when using your insurance is to contact the before treatment begins and get it approved. Ask them what information you will need to get reimbursed, and if/when you get denied, there will several levels of appeal processes with your therapist to go through to get the coverage that you deserve. Although, this can take weeks up to months. If you can contacting your insurance company for coverage information, inquire about these things:
When mental illness occurs, there are often signs that we miss. Some of these "red flags" can seem like the effects of other thigs that are often a part of high school.
According to Jill Adams, a journalist for the Washington Post, Harvard researchers conducted a study in 2017 and posing as parents of a 12 year old with depression called 601 pediatricians and 312 child psychiatrists in five cities. Appointments were made with 40 percent of pediatricians and 17 percent of child psychiatrists, but the only outcomes were long wait times. The majority of psychiatry practices were not accepting new people or listed incorrect phone numbers. Psychiatrists are paid less than many other specialists, and in the past two decades, the rate for psychologists have fallen. There is also more than stigma involved because some teens that know of problems in the house don't want to add to that stress or pressure, so they don't say anything. It's always good to let the child(ren) know that they are not a burden. Hello!
My name is Chelsea. I am from 17-year-old from a medium-small town in Missouri. At my school, we have our cliques, just like every other school. We also have the brainiacs, nerds, jocks, and outsiders. I am one of the outsiders. In stick to my small group of friends, same as everyone else, but my group recently lost a member. She was an acquaintance of mine, who I had talk to only a handful of time. I only knew her through my group of friends, but she was smart, talented person, who loved photography, show choir, and theater. She had so much potential. Unfortunately, she committed suicide. I know she struggled with depression and she had attempted before, but she was on medication and going to therapy, which, in the end, didn't work for her. I am creating this blog to help raise awareness to teenage mental health. In the short time that I have been researching, I have found that 63 percent of youth with major depression don't receive the mental health treatment that they need. That means that only 6 out of 10 youth who do have depression, are at risk for suicidal thoughts. This also means that they will have difficulty in school and in relationships with others don't get the support they need. This is a serious problem because there is so much happening in the world that we don't really know what is actually happening in the schools and social media. There is so much hate and nastiness online and in schools that it can make handling depression, and mental illness in general, that much hard. That is why I want to bring awareness to others about this subject. Parents and peers need to know what the causes, symptoms, and what they can do to help the ones they love and care about. |