Action Alerts /Northwest Network reports on lack of services to youth with mental health challenges

Mental Health isn’t just an adult matter. Many youth are living with a mental health challenge, and like adults, may not be receiving the best care. Public radio stations in Washington state, Idaho and Oregon make up the Northwest News Network. The network recently aired an enlightening series that examines the failure of many Northwest counties in providing adequate mental health care to their youth.

In “Early Intervention Key to Treating Mental Illness,” reporter Chris Lehman looks at two young men with mental health challenges. One received early treatment. The other received help later in his life. The young man who received delayed treatment has been incarcerated numerous times, while the other youth is on a path to recovery. Lehman reports, “According to the Oregon Youth Authority, two-thirds of the young people in its system have a serious mental health disorder…that's in line with national figures.”

Austin Jenkins explores the absence of mental health services for detained youth in "Northwest Mentally Ill Juvenilles Cycle In and Out of Detention." Anna King covers youth in rural areas in her story “In Rural Northwest Mentally Ill Teens Struggle For Services.”  Jessica Robinson interviews brothers Ben and Dell May in “Brotherly Bond Clouded by Schizophrenia.”  Dell has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. They talk about how Dell’s mental health challenges affected their upbringing and relationship.