The expansion of the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, located in Palo Alto, was finalized in December, allowing them to nearly double their original size. And while this is great news, their failure to dedicate a single bed to a child suffering with a mental illness is outrageous and boiling the blood of mental health advocates around the globe.
With a long-standing shortage of beds reserved for mental health crises, Santa Clara County was looking forward to this expansion as a chance to relieve some of this burden. It is now reported that children experiencing a mental health emergency will continue to be sent as far away as Sacramento. It seems as if local hospitals have neglected mental health altogether, and refuse to recognize the issue in the same respect as they would physical ailments.
Not only is this detrimental to those in Santa Clara County battling mental illnesses, it only increases the pre-existing stigma that created this issue in the first place. When an adolescent requests admission to the hospital in the midst of a depressive episode they are dismissed with little concern, despite the risk that self-harm is equally as dangerous as say, an acute viral infection. We’ve all seen the ongoing reports of teen suicide and read up on the staggering statistics regarding the depression and anxiety plaguing this generation’s youth- and to mental health officials I now pose the question, how are we expected to overcome these illnesses without the proper guidance and treatment structure required to do so?
With a long-standing shortage of beds reserved for mental health crises, Santa Clara County was looking forward to this expansion as a chance to relieve some of this burden. It is now reported that children experiencing a mental health emergency will continue to be sent as far away as Sacramento. It seems as if local hospitals have neglected mental health altogether, and refuse to recognize the issue in the same respect as they would physical ailments.
Not only is this detrimental to those in Santa Clara County battling mental illnesses, it only increases the pre-existing stigma that created this issue in the first place. When an adolescent requests admission to the hospital in the midst of a depressive episode they are dismissed with little concern, despite the risk that self-harm is equally as dangerous as say, an acute viral infection. We’ve all seen the ongoing reports of teen suicide and read up on the staggering statistics regarding the depression and anxiety plaguing this generation’s youth- and to mental health officials I now pose the question, how are we expected to overcome these illnesses without the proper guidance and treatment structure required to do so?
The hospital’s resistance toward treating mental health only confirms the fears we hold deep within, that our struggles are invalid and don’t deserve the attention or care from others, when in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth. However, with this detrimental mindset, conditions can only be expected to take a turn for the worse. Teens are less likely to share feelings of hopelessness and distress, especially when they don’t even begin to compare to the tangible impairments of a physical illness. Even eating disorders, which are merely another form of self-harm, receive a higher degree of respect as they more clearly resemble the conventional type of illness that can be physically “cured” with nurses’ supervision and a strict meal plan.
Limited spaces available increases the stigma around this taboo topic. Teens struggling to overcome mental health challenges cannot help but believe that the broken and clearly inadequate system for treatment is an indication of skepticism about the seriousness of the illnesses. Once someone has acknowledged that they have a problem and found the courage to seek help, the lack of therapists and facilities leaves them free of options.
Our youth deserve better than that and the startling lack of funding for a growing issue that is literally taking lives, is unacceptable. Hopefully the power of grassroots advocacy will shift the landscape to force hospitals to expand treatment facilities that are geographically accessible and affordable to all those in need.
Limited spaces available increases the stigma around this taboo topic. Teens struggling to overcome mental health challenges cannot help but believe that the broken and clearly inadequate system for treatment is an indication of skepticism about the seriousness of the illnesses. Once someone has acknowledged that they have a problem and found the courage to seek help, the lack of therapists and facilities leaves them free of options.
Our youth deserve better than that and the startling lack of funding for a growing issue that is literally taking lives, is unacceptable. Hopefully the power of grassroots advocacy will shift the landscape to force hospitals to expand treatment facilities that are geographically accessible and affordable to all those in need.