On Your Side: Mental health crisis in children
CBS LA / January 30, 2023
Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for kids ages 10 to 14. But mental health advocates say California doesn’t have the hospital beds, or enough doctors and therapists to treat these kids in crisis.
“In California, there are not enough treatment centers for youth,” said Lyn Morris, CEO of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services.
According to data obtained by KCAL News, only 16 of 58 California counties have in-patient psychiatric facilities with pediatric beds, with only 746 beds across the entire state of California, according to the California Hospital Association.
“They recommend 50 beds per 100,000 kids. In California, we have 17 per 100,000,” said Lyn Morris. “People don’t often think of young kids having mental health issues, 5 to 11. We have had as young as an 8-year-old calling our crisis line in suicidal distress.”
More and more parents are showing up in emergency rooms desperate for help.
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