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Children in Louisiana are in a mental health crisis, struggling with anxiety and depression at unprecedented levels, he said. Latest report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
of 2022 Child Census Data Book Louisiana ranks 49th out of 50 in child well-being based on economic well-being, education, health, family and community.
“I’m not surprised by these numbers, especially because of the epidemic,” said Marie Collins, executive director of Family Tree of Acadiana. We live in a situation that tends to have a lot of rural areas, so access to care is very difficult to begin with, and then add to the parameters of the epidemic – I think that’s the biggest thing that we’re seeing right now. Children are hurt because of their parents. They are completely dependent, in most cases, on their parents, and so parents are struggling, and this is their frame of reference.
The annual resource, which includes data from the first year of the epidemic, is the first to focus on youth mental health. The report shows a 26 percent increase in anxiety and depression nationwide by 2020, creating what the U.S. Surgeon General has called a “mental health epidemic.”
Although Louisiana improved in 10 of the 16 measures recorded in the annual data book, the state continues to rank among the worst in the nation in all but four indicators.
The state’s top rankings — ninth for the fewest children out of school and 17th for the fewest children without health insurance — reflect a federal and state commitment to ensuring children have access to these essential services.
“Our state has the power to connect children to appropriate mental health care and early intervention services and set them on a path to success,” said Jane Roberts, CEO of the Louisiana nonprofit organization Children’s Agenda. Unfortunately, Louisiana’s children will not only face the one-two punch of an epidemic following the devastation of Hurricane Ida, but also the challenge of trying to get proper mental health care in a state where three out of four residents live. “In an environment of mental health care provider shortages.”
In the first year of the Covid-19 crisis, children across America are more likely than ever to experience anxiety or depression, the data book says.
About 10% of Louisiana children will be diagnosed with depression or anxiety by 2020, according to the report.
“I believe we have relationships with other people,” says Roy Petfils, an adolescent psychotherapist in Lafayette. “People who are hard-wired for a greater need for human connection have really, really, really struggled. One of the things I’ve seen with kids who came before the pandemic is, ‘I don’t have any contact with anyone.’
Petfils said it is difficult for experts to separate the epidemic from the political unrest that occurred at the time of the outbreak when analyzing the data, adding: “Sociologists are going to have a field day with this for the next 100 years.”
Julie Capello, executive director of the Trauma and Grief Center at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, said social isolation is not the only lasting effect of the epidemic on Louisiana’s youth. Anxiety and depression are leading predictors of other mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and aggressive behavior.
Many Louisiana children and teenagers continue to struggle with grief and guilt after losing a loved one to Covid-19.
“Kids in their school are not being deliberately cruel, they are saying, ‘Why isn’t your father vaccinated?’ They say things like: Or ‘Your grandma should have been wearing a mask’ or things that are really challenging,” Kaplow said. And even a little girl who came home from school and had Covid and said, ‘I killed my mother,’ and three weeks later her mother died of Covid.
Capello, a child and adolescent psychologist who splits her time between Louisiana and Texas, said her team hopes to expand the Handle Wise Care program in Houston to the New Orleans area within a year.
The program outlines a streamlined process for an officer who finds a child in a traumatic situation – such as a murder, suicide or domestic dispute. The officer reports the incident to the child’s school, then notifies the teacher, who is trained to handle the child carefully and look for signs of psychological distress.
“If you see any of these symptoms, the child is immediately referred to the school for intervention with the school counselor or an outside partner health care provider,” said Kaplow. What we’re seeing is that the sooner we can identify these kids and get them into care, the more effective the intervention is and the less likely the child will go on to more serious issues. The keys are early detection and early intervention.
Louisiana mental health experts say it’s not yet clear how much the epidemic will affect the well-being of those they serve, especially children and teenagers.
“The benefit of Covid is that it’s reaching people who need mental health services, some of whom may never have sought mental health services in their lives,” Petfils said. “And there’s now a group of allies who help discredit counsel.”
To help children, Louisiana leaders must help the adults around the children.
“We need to connect children with adults so they can get the mental health support they need,” Kaplow said. “And often when children experience trauma and loss, the adults in their lives are experiencing that loss as well, but they may be more focused on taking care of their child than what they really need. So time and time again, we preach the idea of ​​parents putting their own oxygen mask first – taking care of themselves, making sure they get treatment if they need it, dealing with their own trauma and grief issues. . Just as important as getting their child the mental health care they need.
The Casey Foundation calls for the following to be prioritized to improve the mental health of children and adolescents:
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Meeting the basic needs of children through adequate nutrition, stable housing, safe neighborhoods and financial stability for their families
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Ensuring every child gets the mental health care they need, when and where they need it, by adding school counselors and coordinating treatment with local health care providers and governments
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Strengthening mental health care that is sensitive to the experiences and identities of young people, supported by the latest evidence and geared towards early intervention.
Resources for people suffering from anxiety, depression or other mental health issues
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Lafayette area
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Baton Rouge area
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New Orleans area
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