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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
March 19, 2024

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In Our View: A Growing Concern

Relocation of Children's Center reflects importance of mental health care

The Columbian
Published:

Many statistics and anecdotes can be used to point out the need for a robust mental health care system, but for now we shall focus upon this one: The Children’s Center in Vancouver treats more than 800 patients a month.

That is 800 children in the local community who seek help at a single facility in dealing with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts or trauma from abuse. That is 800 children who have provided the impetus for The Children’s Center to construct a new building in East Vancouver and move from its downtown location. That is 800 children who led Matthew Butte, development director for the clinic, to say: “That was the reason we moved. We’ve outgrown that space. There’s certainly no sign of the need decreasing.”

Therein lies the trouble. Mental health care is a growing concern throughout the nation, and it is particularly problematic when it comes to the treatment of children. As Healthline News surmised from a recent report by the Child Mind Institute, “There is a cavernous gap between the number of children struggling with mental health conditions and the number who actually get help” — pointing out the fact that failing to address problems at a young age will only increase societal costs down the road. “The word ‘crisis’ is spot-on,” said Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz, founder and president of the Child Mind Institute. “The problem is that not only are these kids not getting care now, they’re not getting it tomorrow, or in five years, when their symptoms are worse and more complicated.”

Koplewicz, to be sure, is an advocate for a particular point of view. But that view rightly points out that, while progress has been made in mental health care, the needs continue to outpace the services. In Washington, recent court rulings mandating increased attention for mental health care pushed this year’s Legislature to add $100 million in new investments for the state’s system. Many other states also have restored funding that was cut during the Great Recession as the conundrum has become clear: Saving money on mental health is costly in the long run.

Increased spending, however, is not enough to fix the nation’s mental health system. Among the roadblocks is a continuing stigma regarding the need for such care. For example, a 2007 study in the journal “Psychiatric Services” studied patients who had considered seeking treatment but decided against it, and 71 percent of those agreed with the statement, “I wanted to solve the problem on my own.”

Such is the difference in attitudes regarding mental health and other medical problems. If a patient has a heart condition or diabetes or a broken leg, it is unlikely they would hope to solve the problem on their own. But mental health often is viewed differently — to the detriment of both patients and their families. That is particularly important in dealing with care for children. As Koplewicz of the Child Mind Institute said, “If parents were knowledgeable and unafraid, then early and routine mental health care would be the norm.”

That reflects the importance of The Children’s Center and others facilities in the area that provide care for young people. The center’s new facility was made possible through a $1.2 million state grant, along with donations from the Firstenburg Foundation, the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Foundation, and the Marilyn Moyer Charitable Trust.

Those donations reflect the communal importance of mental health care. Ideally, they also will help trigger changing attitudes about such care.

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