(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Experts at Children’s Hospital Colorado said the youth mental health crisis in our state is not going away anytime soon.
In 2023, the hospital system saw just over 7,000 pediatric emergency room visits, which is a 1.73% increase from 2023. Mental health experts tell FOX21 News suicide is still the leading cause of death for kids starting at age 10 in Colorado. Experts said kids are struggling, and they’ve seen higher rates of anxiety, depression, and thoughts about suicide.
This comes as Children’s Hospital Colorado said the mental health of parents has also reached the level of a national crisis. The hospital system is addressing this by offering tips for parents during its first youth mental health town hall of the year.
“We are a Children’s Hospital, but we cannot treat kids without working with parents,” explained Dr. Allie Morford, Licensed Child Psychologist. “What we know is that just the very nature of being a parent or a caregiver really increases the emotional experience. They are being taxed emotionally and cognitively just much more than their non caregiver counterparts.”
These town halls are free and open to the public. Health experts hope the tools shared will support not only kids’ mental health but also the well-being of parents and caregivers themselves.
When it comes to addressing the mental health of both kids and parents, experts remind caretakers of the familiar “airplane safety rule”–put your own mask on first before helping others.
“That really does apply, because caregivers are the pillars of their families for their kids and so they can’t support their kids if they’re not also taking care of themselves,” Dr. Morford said.
During Wednesday’s online town hall, health experts shared when is the right time to take a step back and focus on the positive.
“One of the first steps that we should start to take is acknowledging these stressors that are happening, these conflicts that are happening, these cycles that are happening, and also really trying to harness and find strengths in our kids and ourselves in the life events we’ve had and the things we’ve learned over time,” said Dr. Jacob Holzman, Licensed Child Psychologist.
Health experts also discussed how to choose coping strategies that fit into daily life, like using an ice pack.
“This actually activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which then helps us to calm down when we’re experiencing really intense emotions,” Dr. Morford explained. “Practically, what does this look like? I encourage families to get some of those really flexible ice packs, kind of the squishy ones, and keep a couple of those just in your freezer at all times.”
Dr. Morford recommends taking the ice pack out of the freezer and if you can tolerate it, place it over your eyes with a little bit of pressure. The next place the expert recommends is at the back of your neck.
“So what if you are not home and you do not have access to your handy dandy freezer?” Dr. Morford suggested. “Any change in temperature is what we’re looking for. The ice pack works really well, or just running your wrists under some really cold water, or opening up a window during the winter, and breathing in some really cold air.”
If parents are feeling overwhelmed while caring for their kid, experts suggest focusing on a simple task, like identifying a set number of items in a room of a specific color. They also recommend considering joining a parent support group for additional help.
“It’s not a one-size-fits-all, so it’s really important to be trying out different things and figuring out what coping strategies work for you,” Dr. Morford said.
