PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Action News is focusing on the emotional well-being of children.
Anxiety and depression in children have risen significantly. And in the US, suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 24.
But doctors say help is available.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has opened its first-ever Behavioral Health and Crisis Center in West Philadelphia, with a mission of hope and healing.
When kids come through the doors of CHOP’s Behavioral Health and Crisis Center, you can be certain they are in good hands.
Now in its second year, the center provides 24/7 specialized mental health care for children ages 5 to 17. Hospital leaders say demand surged, particularly in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Pre-pandemic and post-pandemic, we saw this huge growth of patients with psychiatric needs, but there were no beds for them to be placed, so we decided we needed to be able to provide access,” said Dominic Adams, the senior director of CHOP’s Behavioral Health and Crisis Center.
Dr. Catharyn Turner, a child psychiatrist, board-certified pediatrician and the center’s medical director, said growing up today means living in a completely electronic world. She says the bad habits that kids pick up related to their mental or behavioral health can be magnified by social media and increased screen time — possibly leading to feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression.
“It’s not just kids who aren’t interacting with each other, but there’s also less interaction from families,” said Turner. “When you’re looking at a screen, you’re not interacting with each other, and you can miss really important things. You may not notice things happening, or someone may not feel they can talk to you because they don’t know how to talk, because there is less face-to-face time.”
At the center, there is an hour of schooling each day for young patients who are staying several days for treatment. There’s also individual and family therapy, music, and art therapy, all in a setting for kids.
“They spend an hour in the gym every day. They learn how to play. They learn how to interact with each other,” said Turner. “We want to make sure when kids and families leave here that we have built upon the strengths that they come to us with so they feel more prepared to be back in the community with the appropriate support.”
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