BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — New numbers shed light on what some are calling America's “youth mental health crisis".
A KIDS COUNT study shows that between 2016 and 2020 the number of children ages 3 through 17 who reported mental health issues rose by 26 percent. That adds up to more than 1.5-million children.
“Every day the numbers are going up,” remarked Stacie Dziwulski, director, Family Peer Advocate Child & Family Support program, Mental Health Advocates of WNY.
Those who work in the mental health field in Western New York tell 7 News they are seeing a rise in the numbers of families seeking help for their children.
“We’ve been getting calls from clinics, from school districts — a lot of different places have been reaching out to us,” Dziwulski explained.
Dziwulski tells me calls for help is on the rise.
“Parents are scared because of some of this behavior, some of these things are happening with their youth that they've never seen before,” described Dziwulski. “We see some pretty drastic behaviors with younger, and younger kids."
The Family Peer Advocate Child and Family Support Program works to connect families to needed support and act as a bridge especially when children are on waiting lists for help.
“The waiting lists are pretty large, in certain circumstances to get the youth the counseling or assistance through a physician or a psychiatrist if medication might be a possibility for that child,” noted Dziwulski.
But what's driving this spike in anxiety and depression in children?
“Technology, social media pressures that come from that, in terms of just peers, that can be really challenging for kids. Sometimes I think academic standards can be really hard in terms of kids feeling like they have to have their lives figured out,” replied Dr. Keith Klostermann, therapist, Wheatfiled Pediatrics, and mental health expert, Walden University.
“What is your advice to parents on this?" Buckley asked.
“Some anxiety is normal. We all get anxious at different times, but when the anxiety begins to interfere with daily functioning, school, friendships, family — I think it's really important to talk about being transparent about what's happening for the child,” responded Klostermann. “I think with younger kids, creating safety is really important. Anxiety, in general, is fear-based, so I think helping kids recognize the fear that they have is unwarranted — focusing on fact — focusing on safety.”
“And if it's something that's a drastic change to what this child, this teenager was doing before, use to play baseball, use to go hang out with friends, use to do some of these things and now all of a sudden they aren’t,” Dziwulski explained.
But both mental health experts say the numbers are also higher because more people are reaching out and talking about mental health, which is a good thing.
