KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Staff at the East Tennessee Children's Hospital (ETCH) said the number of children with mental disorders they see is rising every year.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, almost 20% of children in the United States ages 2 to 8 have had a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.
"We need those children, all the children to be at their best always," Dr. Suzanne Rybczynski, chief medical officer at ETCH, said.
Dr. Rybczynski added they have definitely seen an increase in need for care after the COVID-19 pandemic and she mentioned there is actually a way for people in East Tennessee to help them out.
The hospital is holding a campaign to raise money for its Mental Health Initiative Fund. The money will go towards helping social workers become licensed clinical social workers. Dr. Rybczynski explained social workers with that additional credential can provide individual therapy, family therapy, and counseling.
"Social workers who do not have that additional credential are more focused on case management and other connections or services," she added. "But this will allow those licensed clinical social workers to do therapy and provide additional supports for patients and their families, so it is a real benefit to all the kids who are here who need that service."
The chief medical officer said there is a need for that type of work in our community.
"The literature and research has shown that unaddressed mental health problems do not just go away," Dr. Rybczynski explained. "A kid with unaddressed mental health problems becomes an adult with mental health problems and, you know, the quicker that can be addressed, the better for all of us."
She wanted to use this time to also emphasize the importance of watching out for warning signs. In children, she mentioned those could be physical complaints more than behavioral issues.
"They (children) might have headaches or stomach aches or they may try to avoid going to school because of something else that is going on," she pointed out.
Click here if you wish to donate to the hospital's Mental Health Initiative Fund.
This story is a part of 10News' Mental Health Mondays series, where we focus on issues surrounding mental health that millions of people face every day.