The Children’s Hospital in Colorado Springs is hosting a virtual Mental Health Townhall on Tuesday night for parents to learn more about the current state of mental health in Colorado kids. They are aiming to address mental health concerns before they escalate to the point of needing hospital-level care, after declaring a kids mental health state of emergency in 2021.
Doctors at the hospital emphasize that kids’ mental health tends to worsen towards the end of the school year in April and May. Dr. Ashley Hayduke, a pediatric psychiatrist at Children’s Hospital, highlights that the youth mental health crisis began before the COVID-19 pandemic and has only intensified since then. They are seeing an increase in anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and risk of harm to oneself or others among children.
Colorado adolescents aged 11 to 18 have experienced a doubling in their rate of poor mental health since 2018. The hospital has served almost 10,000 mental health patients in its System of Care in 2023 alone. Doctors have noticed physical symptoms connected to mental health, such as nausea or vomiting, increasing among patients. However, long treatment waitlists due to the high demand for services are resulting in delays in getting assistance.
Dr. Hayduke stresses the importance of early identification of children struggling with anxiety and depression so they can start receiving treatment promptly. The sooner they can get help, the better their outcome will be in the long run. The virtual Mental Health Townhall is scheduled for Tuesday, April 23rd from 6-7 p.m., where experts will answer questions and provide stress management tips and resources