Clear Impact logo

All Children are Healthy

Behavioral Health

Definition

Line Bar

Story Behind the Curve

Here’s what we know:

Childhood mental illness occurs in about 20% of U.S. children during a given year, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. Further, nearly 5 million U.S. children have some type of serious mental illness (one that significantly interferes with daily life).

The term "mental illness" is not entirely accurate, since there are many "physical" factors -- including heredity and brain chemistry -- that might be involved in the development of a mental disorder. As such, many mental disorders can be effectively treated with medication, psychotherapy (a type of counseling), or a combination of both.

Identifying mental disorders in children can be tricky for health care providers. Children differ from adults in that they experience many physical, mental, and emotional changes as they progress through their natural growth and development. They also are in the process of learning how to cope with, adapt, and relate to others and the world around them. Further, each child matures at his or her own pace, and what is considered "normal" in children falls within a wide range of behavior and abilities. For these reasons, any diagnosis of a mental disorder must consider how well a child functions at home, within the family, at school, and with peers, as well as the child's age and symptoms.

What does this mean for Plymouth?

The Health Committee interviewed two school social workers to assess mental and behavioral health problems in Plymouth’s children and we found that their findings were similar to the national statistics cited above. The social workers reported that they see students on an individual and group basis for a myriad of issues including but not limited to: anxiety, depression, suicidal ideations, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, emotional disturbance. Many times contact with students is on a crisis management level which requires the social worker to collaborate with area agencies (EMPS, CMHA, DCF, Juvenile Court and area hospitals) to ensure that students are receiving the appropriate interventions in and out of school.

To address this, Plymouth began a partnership with CMHA, Inc. and programs were piloted in the school system. However; this was unsuccessful due to the logistics and the high cost of the program. Plymouth is exploring new partnerships located in bordering communities. Plymouth will work with partners on the best way to collect data.

Partners

Plymouth Public Schools

Plymouth Public School Social Workers

Wheeler Clinic, Inc.

What Works

Strategy

Data Development Agenda

The Council is still trying to find the best data to describe the mental health status of Plymouth's youngest citizens.

Clear Impact Suite is an easy-to-use, web-based software platform that helps your staff collaborate with external stakeholders and community partners by utilizing the combination of data collection, performance reporting, and program planning.

Scorecard Container Measure Action Actual Value Target Value Tag S A m/d/yy m/d/yyyy