dults aren't the only ones feeling emotionally wounded by the economy. Last week, the David Lawrence Center in Naples added another outpatient group for youth ages 12 to 17. Called "Tough Times," it's another way the mental health and substance abuse center is trying to meet an increasing need for help among Southwest Florida adolescents.
"The trend now, as it has been in the last several years, is for us to see co-occurring things." said Bonnie Fredeen, the center's chief operating officer. With the economy, we see things such as adjustment disorders, some anger issues, and kids may be dabbling with substances," "We're seeing so many teens with anxiety and depression.
The center saw about 1,300 minors in 2007; that number climbed to 2,500 in 2010. That increase holds true for Lee Mental Health as well. Both centers see adults and children from Lee and Collier counties.
"We're increasing our groups," said Luna Smith, outpatient therapy manager for Lee Mental Health. "We're up to five children's groups a week. A year ago, I think we had one."
"Our 2010 numbers are significantly up for kids," said Jennifer Spencer, its chief operating officer. "We've expanded to serve 36 percent more kids over 2009, due to need."
Another side effect of the trying times is an upsurge in the cases of suspected child abuse, Spencer said.
In 2010, the number of cases Lee Mental Health identified rose 50 percent over 2009.
"One of the things I'm noticing is that the difficult economy breeds more violence and neglect," Spencer said. "Parents are struggling, their coping skills are tapped out and it's a family dynamic."
Although David Schimmel, CEO of the David Lawrence Center, said the number of suspected abuse cases at the center has not risen significantly, he and Fredeen agreed that stress on parents is having an effect on the number of troubled adolescents.
"A lot of kids don't have very good coping skills, and a lot of parents don't either," Schimmel said. Smith said he's noticing a lack of foundation and structure in the family unit.
"With the stresses of finances and lost jobs, people are having to do things, make changes they'd prefer not to do," he said. "Families sharing homes or renting places together, people moving. For teenagers, it pulls the rug out from under what they're used to.
"Families are having more arguing, and that filters down to the kids. There's not money for them to do anything together. And sometimes adults don't filter themselves that well in front of their kids and they need to. They'll say, 'I don't know what we're going to do, I can barely afford to buy food.' Adults know they're not literally going to starve to death, but kids' brains aren't developed enough to know that yet."