To Fight Depression’s Consequences
That a national task force recently endorsed widespread screening of adolescents for what is called major depressive disorder resonates here among school officials, health professionals, and individuals who have lost family members to suicide.
In issuing its recommendation for screenings, the Preventative Services Task Force said they would only be beneficial if comprehensive resources are in place to support those who are eventually diagnosed — and that may not be the case now on the East End. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, major depression is now the second leading cause of death among those 15 to 24.
The mental health of teenagers and young adults touches a deep, dark place in the local community. In the last three years, two young adults — David Hernandez Barros, 16, and Tyler Valcich, 20 — took their own lives. While depression was not identified as a specific cause of the latter death, his mother, Valinda Valcich of Montauk, has founded the Tyler Project to raise awareness and prevent suicides among young people.
Adam Fine, the principal of East Hampton High School, said in an email that he would like to see “some form of screening for depression or even suicidal tendencies.” Last year, according to high school administrators, more than 50 students were referred to the East Hampton branch of the Family Service League, resulting in 20 undergoing psychiatric evaluation and 9 being hospitalized.
“The challenge, Mr. Fine said, is the time it takes to complete and the additional resources needed to help these children who have been deemed at risk.”
“There is no inpatient or otherwise psychiatric program at Southampton Hospital, and that’s typically the case in most small community hospitals,” Robert Chaloner, chief executive officer of Southampton Hospital, said by phone this week.
Mr. Chaloner agreed with others in the local mental health community that more widespread screenings for depression among teenagers would be beneficial. “I think that’s a great idea,” he said. “The logistics would be important, involving the parents . . . and getting more people and providers involved.” However, he added that the goal was “really not to have a unit. . . . That would be the wrongmore resources close to home so that the kids in crisis can see someone right away.”
He reported that the hospital is actively looking for another psychiatrist to add to its mental health staff, which now consists of one psychiatrist, one psychiatric nurse-practitioner, and a handful of social workers. The hospital’s impending merger with Stony Brook University Hospital should also help expand resources, he said.
For Ms. Valcich, the existing screening gap took a personal toll. She suggested screenings should occur during annual school physicals, although she said they should be subtle to avoid perpetuating a stigma associated with mental illness as students enter eighth grade or high school.
“If we can catch these children’s issues beforehand . . . there would be a better chance of getting these children help,” she said. She took issue with local providers’ waiting lists and costs, and said youth experiencing extreme crises have to travel all the way to Stony Brook University Hospital for help.
“Therein lies the biggest problem — resources,” she said. “These kids are falling through the cracks.”
Larry Weiss, the chief program officer of the East Hampton branch of the Family Service League, said in an email this week, however, that it was “way too simple to ascribe the problems to lack of services, remoteness of the East End, or anything special about the population.”
“Without early identification and prevention, the clinic system will never be able to keep up with the demand,” he said, adding, “It isn’t inevitable for early emotional problems to evolve into treatment-requiring problems.”
The Community Behavioral Health Collaborative, a new program here of which Mr. Weiss is a member, has been at work identifying emotional and mental health not just in teens but in younger children, too. It recently received a boost in state funding through the South Fork Behavioral Health Initiative.
“When we consider that assistance to children and youth means that we also reduce adult problems and the impact on social and economic factors — divorce, family violence, child maltreatment, vocational failures, chemical dependency, et cetera — a better perspective becomes evident,” Mr. Weiss said.
That a national task force recently endorsed widespread screening of adolescents for what is called major depressive disorder resonates here among school officials, health professionals, and individuals who have lost family members to suicide.
In issuing its recommendation for screenings, the Preventative Services Task Force said they would only be beneficial if comprehensive resources are in place to support those who are eventually diagnosed — and that may not be the case now on the East End. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, major depression is now the second leading cause of death among those 15 to 24.
The mental health of teenagers and young adults touches a deep, dark place in the local community. In the last three years, two young adults — David Hernandez Barros, 16, and Tyler Valcich, 20 — took their own lives. While depression was not identified as a specific cause of the latter death, his mother, Valinda Valcich of Montauk, has founded the Tyler Project to raise awareness and prevent suicides among young people.
Adam Fine, the principal of East Hampton High School, said in an email that he would like to see “some form of screening for depression or even suicidal tendencies.” Last year, according to high school administrators, more than 50 students were referred to the East Hampton branch of the Family Service League, resulting in 20 undergoing psychiatric evaluation and 9 being hospitalized.
“The challenge, Mr. Fine said, is the time it takes to complete and the additional resources needed to help these children who have been deemed at risk.”
“There is no inpatient or otherwise psychiatric program at Southampton Hospital, and that’s typically the case in most small community hospitals,” Robert Chaloner, chief executive officer of Southampton Hospital, said by phone this week.
Mr. Chaloner agreed with others in the local mental health community that more widespread screenings for depression among teenagers would be beneficial. “I think that’s a great idea,” he said. “The logistics would be important, involving the parents . . . and getting more people and providers involved.” However, he added that the goal was “really not to have a unit. . . . That would be the wrongmore resources close to home so that the kids in crisis can see someone right away.”
He reported that the hospital is actively looking for another psychiatrist to add to its mental health staff, which now consists of one psychiatrist, one psychiatric nurse-practitioner, and a handful of social workers. The hospital’s impending merger with Stony Brook University Hospital should also help expand resources, he said.
For Ms. Valcich, the existing screening gap took a personal toll. She suggested screenings should occur during annual school physicals, although she said they should be subtle to avoid perpetuating a stigma associated with mental illness as students enter eighth grade or high school.
“If we can catch these children’s issues beforehand . . . there would be a better chance of getting these children help,” she said. She took issue with local providers’ waiting lists and costs, and said youth experiencing extreme crises have to travel all the way to Stony Brook University Hospital for help.
“Therein lies the biggest problem — resources,” she said. “These kids are falling through the cracks.”
Larry Weiss, the chief program officer of the East Hampton branch of the Family Service League, said in an email this week, however, that it was “way too simple to ascribe the problems to lack of services, remoteness of the East End, or anything special about the population.”
“Without early identification and prevention, the clinic system will never be able to keep up with the demand,” he said, adding, “It isn’t inevitable for early emotional problems to evolve into treatment-requiring problems.”
The Community Behavioral Health Collaborative, a new program here of which Mr. Weiss is a member, has been at work identifying emotional and mental health not just in teens but in younger children, too. It recently received a boost in state funding through the South Fork Behavioral Health Initiative.
“When we consider that assistance to children and youth means that we also reduce adult problems and the impact on social and economic factors — divorce, family violence, child maltreatment, vocational failures, chemical dependency, et cetera — a better perspective becomes evident,” Mr. Weiss said.