LAKE CHARLES, La. – In recent years, we seem to hear more and more about the decline of mental health.
“We’re seeing a lot of depression and anxiety disorders,” said Theresa Ivey. “That includes children as young as three all the way up to our geriatric population.”
Theresa Ivey is a licensed clinical social worker with the Southwest Louisiana Center of Health Services at its M.J. Kaufman Elementary location. She said about one in six adults and one in five children will experience a mental disorder.
If those numbers weren’t shocking enough, Ivey said 7,600 teens died by suicide in the last three years, but there were more than 150,000 suicide attempts in the U.S.
If mental illness isn’t treated in adolescence, Ivey said, it can continue into adulthood.
“Most kids who get some sort of mental health diagnosis, especially anxiety, depression, by the time they’re 24, they’re going to develop a more serious, what we call a severe persistent mental illness, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, things like that,” Ivey said.
Social media, the pandemic, hurricanes, the economy – there is a long list of contributing factors. Ivey explained that there is even a shortage of trained counsellors.
She said it’s important for parents to pay attention to the little things that might indicate a problem and not be afraid to seek help, which is especially important for adults.
“There’s not a specific set of symptoms, it’s not black and white,” Ivey said. “It’s not a dry cut, so anything that is unusual is a red flag for that person.”
Ivey stresses that there is no shame in needing or asking for help.
A person was found dead in a car outside the Lake Charles City Courthouse this morning. Suicide is suspected. If the death is ruled a suicide, it would be the second suicide in a local public area in the last week.
