The COVID-19 pandemic put mental health in the spotlight, especially in kids. While the need for mental health services has been growing, the number of professionals available to meet that need hasn't.
Because of that, pediatricians are now on the front lines of Michigan's mental health crisis.
Kevin Fischer said in 2007, his oldest son, Dominique, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. He was just 20 years old.
It was a bolt from the blue. Dominique was a sophomore in college. A kid with a dazzling smile. But the diagnosis was the start of a turbulent two-and-a-half years for Fischer and his family.
"We struggled to try to understand all of this, how to help him. And unfortunately, on June 27 of 2010, we lost him to suicide," he said.
Today, Fischer is the executive director of Nami Michigan - a grassroots mental health organization. He says while stigma is a major barrier to care, when those seeking help do reach out too often there is no one there.
"Finding a child psychiatrist or psychologist is like finding a unicorn," he said.
That's backed up by a new survey from researchers at the University of Chicago. The NORC at the university found 69% of kids and teens didn't receive mental health or substance use care in at least one case. Compare that to 17% for physical health.
Dr. Salvatore Ventimiglia of Shelby Pediatric Associates says it’s pediatricians like him who are filling the void left by the scarcity of pediatric mental health providers
"Upwards of a third of my day can be spent with various mental health issues going on in kids," Ventimiglia said.
Kids as young as 5 years old are struggling with behavioral problems. But most common are kids with anxiety and depression. Ventimiglia says there are more patients seeking help after the pandemic, and mental health providers retiring at a faster pace.
The flood of patients has providers like Ventimiglia looking for a psychiatric refresher.
"Reaching out to mental health professionals in this community. I think that's really where I've learned the most in the on-the-job training we've had to do," he said.
He's also bolstering his staff with nurse practitioners with certifications in mental health and adding a psychologist to meet patient demand. However, he says the first line of care starts at home.
"Have an open conversation about what their kids are going through, what they're thinking, and not be afraid to ask," he said.
Even after the pandemic, it is still a problem. Fischer says prior to the pandemic, they were reporting that 75% of those diagnosed with a mental illness said that they felt that they were victims of stigma.
Now, three years later, 87% of the population that lives with mental illness says they feel like they're victims of stigma.
So the solution is twofold – erasing the stigma and making sure there are enough providers available when people seek help.
