Dear Editor,
Re: "Richmond woman decries upcoming closure of teen mental health facility"
Please save the teen mental facility!
There is zero resources for teens with mental illness and many “aged out” and grew into young adults and adults with mental illness but no knowledge or network of support.
There are no age-appropriate support groups, psychiatrists at the children’s hospital are clueless about how to talk to teenagers, and no licensed psychologists specializing in teen mental patients.
The school system is focused on supporting mental health of students, but mental illness is not the same thing as mental health.
You feel stressed because your family breakdown? That’s a mental health problem.
You feel stressed but you have a wonderful family and no reason to be stressed? That’s mental illness which still has a big negative stigma that few parents would readily acknowledge or discuss it.
Today’s unsupported teens are tomorrow’s greater societal problems. Help them early!
Nick Ames
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