Federal COVID stimulus funds can fuel the effort in ways not previously possible, including more money devoted to behavioral health as students across the country prepare a return to classrooms in the fall. Some say timing is right for an overhaul. They range from placing more psychologists and social workers in schools, to encouraging more medical residents to pursue careers in child psychiatry, to deeper investment in public health, including funding for more psychiatric beds to help thousands of families with a child in despair. It’s a system further strained by COVID-19.įortunately, nascent efforts are underway at the state and federal level to improve access to treatment. In this series, Bridge Michigan and Side Effects Public Media have highlighted critical gaps in mental health resources for children and teens across the Midwest - that includes a shortage of psychiatrists, therapists and inpatient beds, and the warehousing of children in hospital emergency rooms as they wait for specialized treatment. Which is why she offers this simple plea: “Don’t give up on people with mental health” issues. I can’t feel light, and I can’t feel happy.” “I can have the best day ever, then suddenly I’m sad,” she said. It comes “randomly,” she said: “It’s like a mind battle.” She shared the national spotlight as part of the Detroit Youth Choir, which was given a key to the city for “being the Heart, Soul and Spirit of Detroit.”Īnd yet, Symone said, she can suddenly feel despondent. Her teenage years have included some notable highs. In most ways, Symone is like any other 17-year-old looking forward to her senior year in high school and what life may bring after - college and a career in music therapy or entertainment law, she hopes. (Erin Kirkland/Bridge Michigan)īY ROBIN ERB WITH BRIDGE MICHIGAN AND CARTER BARRETT WITH WFYI'S SIDE EFFECTS PUBLIC MEDIA She stands here with her mother, Que Jewelz, at their Highland Park home in Michigan. In the national spotlight as a performer with the Detroit Youth Choir, 17-year-old Symone has battled depression for years.
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