New Sessions / New Fears

We are in the beginnings of another session of the Texas Legislature and the  rumors and reality of the budget are starting to take their toll.   Many people are  fearful and  considering leaving community agencies to get a more stable position with  large companies. Mental health  professionals are watching the cuts carefully, as we all know there are already not enough of us to handle the people that have some sort of  payment ability. What will happen when say Child Psychiatrist go out of business or stop taking  the poor kids who have  CHIP or Medicaid  because they are being paid less than minimum wage for their services. I totally understand the need to be fiscally responsible. But there has to be some balance. Every time the political party changes, so does the  swing. First we spend like crazy, then the swing happens and we cut into the bone. There have been rounds of testimony from advocacy groups, psychiatrists, therapists, foster care , and concerned individuals. Hopefully they can come up with a reasonable plan to secure the  state without sacrificing the people who live here. We are already at the bottom of the heap with regard to education, and mental health.
It could be this fear that is spreading across the state via every media channel there is, is causing  a lot of turmoil within families. Doom and gloom don't make for a stable family. Whatever the reason, I have seen a huge increase in the calls for mental health care for kids. Currently, there is very little a family can do but wait the 3-6 months for an appointment with a child  psychiatrist. Maybe that is why there are so many kids in hospitals now.... the wait was too long.
. Related articles

• No budget Armageddon in Texas: Governor Perry (reuters.com)
• Budget Jail Officials: Mental Health Cuts Hurt Everyone (skwillms.wordpress.com)
• You: Texas Budget Cuts Could Shrink Mental Health Help - Texas Tribune (news.google.com)
• "The California view of Texas' budget situation" and related posts (offthekuff.com)
• It's Easer to Get a Gun than Mental Health Care (psychologytoday.com)

Related articles

• It's Easer to Get a Gun than Mental Health Care (psychologytoday.com)

Medicating Children

You have heard the stories and seen the pictures of children drugged in an effort to "help" them. The children are unfocused, violent, may have P.T.S.D. symptoms and are disrupting the classroom. Some say they need to be put on medications. But what about the black box warnings? Can medications trigger suicide? Are there alternatives to medications? Confusion over the use of medications in children is not new. It has become a subject of interest lately due to the increased number of children needing help with ADD, Bipolar and other mental health issues. Some child advocates are against the use of any medication in children. Some are outspoken regarding psychotropic medications only. There are options to consider before starting medications. Therapy is a good choice. Thinking back to childhood, most of us can confirm that children are mean, can be cruel and operate on a mob mentality. If one kid starts picking on a smaller "weird" kid, soon everybody picks on that child. Children may need some help coping. Parents may be over burdened with life and not have the luxury of helping their child get through the rough spots. Parents need good solid information on not only why medications are used in children, but what goes into the decision to use a medication. Child psychiatrists specialize in treating children. They are focused on how a child's body responds to drugs and how the metabolism changes in a child as they grow. They are pediatric doctors who happen to specialize in the function of a specific organ, a child's brain. Who better to talk about how, when and why medications should be used? Dr. Soad Michelsen, a Board Certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Associate Faculty member at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio recently recorded a You Tube Video on this topic. It is presented in clear non-medical, non psychobabble language and addresses many of the issues surrounding the safe use of medications in treating children with mental health issues. Her You Tube talk can be found at http://www.smhc.org/index.php/family-resource-center/on-demand-video/125.html .