Support needed for teen mental health

By Juliette Coulter

Vanita Halliburton founded Grant Halliburton Foundation in 2006 after her son had taken his life following bouts of severe depression and bipolar disorder. When Grant was struggling, Vanita searched for resources and found little. Later, she resolved to provide critical mental health resources, so that other families wouldn’t have the same outcome as hers. 

Out of that tragedy, Grant Halliburton Foundation was founded. Now in its 15th year, the Foundation has provided mental health education, training and support to more than 200,000 students, educators, parents and professionals. 

The Foundation also offers many educational resources, such as HereForTexas.com and the Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line.  These free community tools aim to offer easy access for North Texans seeking mental health and addiction information and resources. 

Halliburton said: “In 15 years, we’ve been able to talk more openly about mental health and provide resources, but there’s still a stigma tied to this important issue. Our goal is to be the ‘go to’ organization for those who need resources and for those working with children to young adults. If you, your loved one or someone you know needs help, we encourage you to contact us.”   

According to the 2021 The State of Mental Health in America study, mental health and suicide are still critical issues among children and young adults: 

• Texas ranked the second lowest in terms of access to mental healthcare. 

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a 31% increase in mental health-related emergency room visits among children aged 12-17 years, during April-October 2020 compared to April-October 2019.  

• Suicide is still the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10-24 (CDC, 2019). 

• In Texas, the state loses a young person ages 10-24 to suicide at the rate of almost 2 per day. (CDC Wonder, 2019)

• Since COVID-19, pediatricians are seeing more patients come in with depression, anxiety, obesity and risky sexual behavior. 

Cami Fields, Grant Halliburton Foundation director of outreach and education, said, “This report states that 60 percent of youth with depression don’t receive any mental health treatment, and I estimate that number is actually higher since many who need help don’t seek it. The pandemic also shifted school online, away from peers and friends, and home life into a bubble. So for those who were experiencing depression or other mental health symptoms, their conditions may have gotten worse.”  

She added, “The stigma of mental health isn’t going away, so we work hard to help as many as we can through a series of education, talks and programs.” During the pandemic, the Foundation shifted to doing a majority of its school presentations for students, parents, teachers, schools, counselors and others online. 

Blanca Garcia, director of mental health resources at Grant Halliburton Foundation, has seen an increase in the severity of calls to the Mental Health Navigation Line during 2020. She remarked: “The calls lasted longer and highlighted more family problems. There was also a rise in elevated crisis calls, though we are not a crisis line, but we can refer them to other resources.” 

She takes many of the Spanish calls and said: “Many said they felt anxious and stressed, had trouble sleeping and were short of breath. As I told them, these physical symptoms are linked to mental health, so it was both the adult family member and child who needed help.” 

Callers are connected to a trained mental health navigator who can offer support and information about services and resources in their area. 

Then, an experienced mental health professional helps to identify specific resources tailored to the caller’s needs within 24 hours. 

Garcia added: “Feeling anxious or depressed is normal, and people can learn to cope with that. In some cases, they may need a professional to talk to, and that’s our role to help as many as possible.”

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