It’s been another tough year for students in Colorado. The pressures of just trying to grow up in a social media-centric, complex world on top of the stress of constant uncertainty and change because of the pandemic have exacerbated a crisis in our state, says the Chief Medical Officer for Chidren’s Colorado.
“I’ve been in practice for over 20 years in pediatrics and I’ve never seen anything like the demand for mental health services we’ve seen at Children’s Coloardo in the past 15 months,” Dr. David Brumbaugh, MD.
In fact, Children’s has seen a 73 percent increase in youth coming into the emergency room for support over the past year. Doctors say it’s not just teens, but kids as young as five year old are brought into the emergency room by their guardian or parent.
So, let’s talk. Let’s open up the conversation to see how you or your family’s experience could help someone else. If you’re comfortable sharing how mental illness as impacted your life, Denver7 360 would be honored to hear your story.
Share a short essay about your journey in the hopes that it might help someone else in Colorado. We'll share your stories in Denver7 newscasts and on thedenverchannel.com. Learn more about Denver7 360 | Your Opinion and how to submit your opinion on any topic.
Denver7 360 In-Depth reports recently dove into these topics that might help. Anchors Nicole Brady, Brian Sanders look into:
- Watch the full segment here
- Colorado youth are getting free mental health services through 'I Matter' website
- Shortage of specialists: Colorado is falling behind on hiring mental health workers
- Children's Hospital of Colorado doctors are concerned about students' mental health
This is a tough topic to discuss, but it's an important one.
So, how is your child dealing with the stress of the pandemic and social media culture? How have you been able to help them with their mental health struggles? Send us an email at 360@thedenverchannel.com or use the form below.