Current Issues in Mental Health

HELP! Where are the Mental Health Services on the Eastern Shore?
It Does Take a Village.

Where can a proud, single mother find mental health assistance for her children?
This question or issue came to my attention a couple of months ago when a desperate young mother of four was seeking assistance for a daughter who appeared to be suicidal and another daughter who was exhibiting an eating disorder. Since she did not have unlimited funds and could not afford the $300 a session fee of a local psychiatrist nor would a number of other doctors accept her insurance carriers, she then was referred to our local clinics. However, when she called for help, she was informed that there was a waiting period of almost two months and a psychiatrist was not available since there was a vacancy at that time. Was this women suppose to wait until her children’s lives were endangered due to their mental issues and the lack of immediate intervention. Unfortunately, there are many children who are suffering and in need of immediate attention while our private practioners are not affordable and our clinics are on overload and short staffed. As a board member of our Mental Health Association, I feel obligated to investigate this crisis and possibly to come up with a solution or suggestion for some kind of intervention. It was brought to my attention that a clinical outreach program and services are located in our schools and that a parent could seek this support service through a guidance staff member. Unfortunately, many parents do not wish to “air their dirty laundry” in the public school system.

The Eastern Shore seems to be plagued by the shortage of internists, psychiatrists and certified mental health workers and even may experience the loss of a hospital facility. After attending a conference on mental health services in the public schools, there appears to be a number of agencies that provide services to childen and their families but the ratio of clinically trained therapists and psychiatrists to children and families in crisis is most unfavorable. It is indeed a miracle that we, as a community, have avoided significant tragedy such as adolescent suicide thanks to the intervention and attempts made by a Mental Health Association board member and Talbot County School administrator, Robert Schmidt. However, attempts to prevent mental health issues experienced by that mother of four children may not be enough or adequate. We need to attract more physicians and mental health professionals to the Eastern Shore and propose and support changes in legislation to finance mental health services. Connie Pullen, a member of the Mental Health Association and a dedicated social worker has worked tirelessly with our legislators to effect change in the provision of mental health services to our families on the Eastern Shore. She has spent a great deal of time in Annapolis convincing our legislators to address the need of families in crisis who cannot pay $300 a session with a clinician nor wait weeks to be serviced and to place their children in deeper emotional pain.

In addition to legislative changes, our community needs to recruit certified mental health clinicians in private practice to volunteer their time to assist children and families in need. Generosity, volunteerism and community spirit should be the mantra of our clinical community. Donating an hour of therapy once a week to a child or a family would greatly improve the mental health of our community as well as bring such mental stability and happiness to those individuals who are suffering greatly. I believe that as a therapist, I could indeed afford to give my time and my heart to “adopt” a family and provide family therapy for one hour or more a week. I do appeal to my fellow clinicians to consider this caring gesture of service and assistance in bringing mental health and happiness into the lives of the families of our community. Do email me if you have any interest or questions and most of all your generosity in participating in this pro bono program. I also encourage families in need to email me if you need support and wish to be considered for such therapeutic intervention.

Perhaps, the theme, “ It takes a Village” will be a meaningful moto for the Eastern Shore.

Written by Fran White. You may contact the writer at fwhite@goeaston.net.

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