#child-psychiatry

#child-psychiatry

Providers and health organizations alike encourage children and families to pursue mental healthcare as if it were universally healing. Amidst the ongoing pediatric mental health crisis - characterized by increased rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide attempts - "access to quality mental healthcare" remains the prevailing discourse. But what if child psychiatry was not originated or designed to protect and serve your children's best interests? What if it refused to acknowledge the unique harms facing your child? What if it carried unstated risks of harm that are not accounted for in these general recommendations to pursue it?

When a child is labeled "oppositional," adults often assume the problem is the child. In my experience as a child psychiatrist, the truth is often much more complicated. Both families sought out these schools, believing they were giving their children the best education possible. Instead, the schools failed their children, labeling them "oppositional" and "defiant" rather than addressing the root causes of their behavior.

Every working adult was once a playing child. Coping mechanisms and how one adapts to employment can be traced back to early experiences. Yet, recent cuts in hundreds of billions of dollars to Medicaid put access to mental health care for children at risk. Cuts to Medicaid, the largest payer for children's mental health services, are harmful to implement at a time of crisis for youth mental health. They can also adversely affect the future workforce.