Sandy Hook shooting prompts mental health discussion
Andrea Medeiros
The tragedy at Sandy
Hook Elementary School
is drawing attention to mental illness. Some parents, who also have sons and
daughters needing medical care, say they are having trouble getting it.
The shooting rampage in Connecticut hits close to home for Abby Stein
of Barrington. The shooter has been linked to the syndrome her 12 year old son
has, Asperger's. She's worried about the stigma that goes along with that.
“You can't blame a child who has Asperger's or Autism and say
they're going to grow up and be a person who massacres little children.”
Even more concerning for Stein, who is also a psychotherapist,
is the lack of treatment options for mental illness.
“Kids like my son can fall through the cracks, even though
he's a little quirky and different than other kids, he's not profound enough to
stick out where people will say wow this kid really needs help,” said Stein.
After jumping through a lot of hoops, Stein's son was finally
diagnosed at eight years old, but she says a lot of parents give up. They can't
afford tests, which aren't typically covered by insurance.
“You can't just say my child is violent, my child is angry, I'm
afraid he might hurt me. They're going to look back and say well have you taken
him to a doctor, what do the teachers say about him,” said Stein.
Community advocate and psychologist Paul Block says it's a
broken system, where mental health patients are treated differently than medical
patients and co–pays are more expensive.
“You don't get an annual checkup in mental health,” said Block,
“You have to have an identified concern then you have to go pay a co-pay and co-pays
make people even less likely to use mental health services that they need.”
Mental health professionals tell us sometimes the only way to
raise a red flag and get your child treatment is if he or she commits a crime.
