Autism - Take Cover, the Tidal Wave is on it's way.

[Guest guest]

from another list..............

quoting an article from 2004

Hi,

You might want to hide from this tidal wave before it hits.

As you read the following, I hope that you can

capture a glimpse of the reality of so many in

the Autism Epidemic, as well as other mental

illnesses. As these budgets strain for the care

of this tidal wave of disable people entering

adulthood, we will all be paying the bill. So it

will effect you and every tax paying

American. Note 54,000 children in CO

alone. Multiply that my 50 states and you then

get 2.7 Million as a very rough national estimate.

Thanks for taking the time......

NO URL

Young and mentally ill

By le Crist, Rocky Mountain News

January 3, 2004

Darcy Callies was going through a stack of papers

in her daughter's room several months ago when

she came across a simple drawing on a piece of notebook paper.

Next to the picture, in a child's scribble,

Chelsy Griggs had written, " This is a gun. I will kill myself. " Chelsy is 11.

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder and Asperger's

syndrome, Chelsy bounces back and forth between

two emotions - euphoria and rage. When she's

happy, she literally believes the animals can

sing. When she's angry, she becomes convinced

that the sky will fall, and she lashes out at anyone, anything, nearby.

Several months ago, it was her mother. Chelsy

tried to stab her with a carving knife.

In the past, her rages have been directed at her

bedroom walls, her own arms, or a toy of her

little brother's that she ripped in half.

If Chelsy had cancer, no one would question her

parents, or wonder if a little more discipline

would keep her in check. When she flies into an

unpredictable rage, strangers are quick to point

fingers, not understanding that the mental illness is to blame.

Mentally ill children have a condition many don't

want to talk about, a disease most don't

understand. Unlike children with diabetes,

children with mental illnesses often aren't supported, they're stared at.

And their parents are judged.

For the mothers and fathers of more than 54,000

Colorado children ages 11 and under who have a

serious emotional disturbances, life is often

filled with isolation and endless searches for

help. And recent state budget cuts mean some of

the help that once was available no longer exists.

As a result of those cuts, shrinking private

donations and dwindling grant money, the state's

17 community mental health centers that primarily

treat clients with Medicaid have had to cut

nearly $20 million in programs and services for

fiscal 2003 - almost 9.5 percent of their total budgets.

Many of those cuts in services have directly

affected children. Some of them include:

• Six mental health centers reduced the number of

school counselors; two eliminated their school

counseling programs; and one center eliminated

programs in some schools and reduced the number of counselors in others.

• Two centers eliminated their day treatment

programs, which provide education and care for

seriously emotionally disturbed children. Two

other centers reduced the number of children they accept.

• Three centers eliminated their respite care

programs, which provide a break for parents by

caring for their children during the day and

sometimes overnight. Five other centers

dramatically reduced the number of children they accept in respite care.

• Several pilot programs were canceled. Among

them was one designed to develop treatment

programs for children under 5 years old with

severe emotional disturbances. As a consequence,

millions of dollars in matching federal funds were lost as well.

Although children who receive Medicaid are

experiencing a serious reduction in services, as

many as 30,000 uninsured children who have a

serious emotional disturbance receive no help at all, according to one study.

Sargent, director of public policy for the

Mental Health Association of Colorado, said there

isn't enough public demand for mental health

funding, even though many children have legitimate - and treatable - illnesses.

" In this state, you struggle very hard to get

appropriate care for your children, " Sargent

said. " If you had 30,000 kids in Colorado with

cancer or tuberculosis, do you think they wouldn't be getting treatment? "

The problems, experts said, stem partly from a

lack of understanding about children and mental illness.

Until about 10 years ago, experts rarely

diagnosed children as mentally ill. Even now,

children's mental illnesses are typically

referred to as " serious emotional disorders. "

Although some experts continue to debate how to

treat young children with mental illnesses, it's

becoming more common for psychiatrists to spot

certain disorders in children as young as 3 or 4, mental health experts say.

But that trend is new enough that it has not

become accepted - or even known - among many

teachers, pediatricians, social workers and

lawmakers who continue to attribute problem

behaviors to parenting, not mental illness.

That makes it difficult for parents to get an

initial diagnosis, address problems at school or

find the appropriate services for their children.

Some state leaders defended the mental health

cuts, noting that the budget crisis has forced

lawmakers to slash funding in several areas of

human services. However, state Rep. Brad Young,

R-Lamar, chairman of the Joint Budget Committee,

acknowledged that mental health funding does not

always have widespread support.

" There are so many competing interests, " Young

said. " Mental health funding doesn't have the

advocacy down here that a lot of other issues do. "

A young girl's rage

At times, Chelsy Griggs has taken as many as 13

pills a day as part of her treatment, but her

rages continue, and her parents are running out of ideas.

Chelsy's mother, Darcy, raised her daughter on

her own after Chelsy's father died from a

terminal illness during her pregnancy.

Darcy Callies said her daughter seemed to be a

pretty typical child until she was about 3 years

old. That's when she went to a birthday party

where Callies said several young boys molested Chelsy.

Her behavior changed. She started acting out. She started having nightmares.

Callies assumed her daughter was reacting to the

sexual assault. Counselors thought Chelsy had

post traumatic stress disorder. But as months,

then years passed, Chelsy's problems just got worse.

By the time Chelsy was in first grade, teachers

started telling her mother that something was

wrong. Chelsy wet her pants frequently, did

poorly in school, seemed so anxious, so angry.

Callies took her daughter to counselors,

pediatricians and psychiatrists. They all had different theories.

" We've gone through about 30 diagnoses, " said

Callies, 39. " With each different diagnosis, there is different medication. "

Yet the rages continued.

As Callies and her husband, , give a

summary of the incidents, they have a hard time

separating one from the other, looking to each

other to remember what caused which rage, such as

the one when Chelsy was in second grade. That one

brought police officers to the house.

Chelsy was out of control and her parents

couldn't calm her. Over the years, they'd learned

how to safely restrain her physically, how to

talk her down. But that time, nothing worked.

Chelsy pushed her stepfather down the stairs, bit

and kicked her mother, then threatened to kill her.

Darcy Callies called the police.

When the first two officers arrived, they

immediately called for backup. Chelsy was

spitting on them, cussing at them. They couldn't

get her out of her room, Darcy Callies said.

" Her adrenaline was amazing. She had more

strength than 10 men that day, " she recalled.

Finally, the officers shackled Chelsy's hands and

feet, managed to get her into the police car and took her to the hospital.

Chelsy spent a month at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan.

She came home to a bedroom with nothing more than

a bed, a light and a dresser. She couldn't have

stuffed animals because she once ripped the eye

off a teddy bear and used it to cut herself.

Safety pins were hidden, kitchen knives were

locked away. Even lotion had to be put out of reach or she tried to drink it.

" Everything became a weapon, " Darcy Callies said.

Although two of her four children are grown and

out of the house, the Callies' 8-year-old son,

Ethan, has had to live with the chaos, had to

learn that he can't always get the attention he

needs because Chelsy needs it more.

" Ethan really has a hard time with this, " Darcy

Callies said. " He used to lock himself in the bathroom every time she raged. "

Two years ago, Darcy Callies had no choice but to

quit working because she was constantly having to

leave her job in restaurant management to pick

Chelsy up from school or take her to a doctor.

She blamed herself, but wondered why none of her

other children had similar problems. Then she blamed her husband.

" I wouldn't let him do anything, " Darcy Callies

said. " If he looked like he was going to raise

his voice, I would jump up and get in his face. "

Callies said he blamed her right back.

Darcy Callies was too lenient, made too many excuses, Callies argued.

The couple fought. They talked about divorce.

" I'm falling apart because my kids are falling

apart, then our marriage started falling apart, " Darcy Callies said.

Endless struggle

Thoroughgood is a therapist who has worked

with the Callies' in their home twice a week for the past several months.

He said it's not uncommon for parents to struggle

over a difference in style, and those issues are

compounded with a mentally ill child.

The Callieses, Thoroughgood said, are trying to

find a way to acknowledge Chelsy's illness

without excusing unacceptable behavior. That's tough, he said.

" I think that they struggle a lot. I think they

struggle personally. I think they struggle

parentally, " Thoroughgood said. " I think they've

worked very hard on this, and it's been a difficult and long road for them. "

and Darcy Callies are beginning to work

together, but Chelsy's illness still strains the family.

They suffered another setback this fall when

Callies was laid off from his computer

job. The family had to move from their

five-bedroom home into the basement of Darcy Callies' niece's home in Thornton.

That didn't help Chelsy's anxiety, and she

already was struggling to adjust to her first

year in public school after her mother decided

she was ready to leave the day treatment program

where she had spent the past two years.

Still, Chelsy weathered the changes well - until

November. That's when she suddenly refused to enter her classroom.

She told her mother the other children had

laughed at her, but neither Darcy Callies nor

school officials seem to know what really triggered the problem.

One day, Darcy Callies tried to help by walking

Chelsy into the classroom, but when Chelsy got

about 15 feet away, she froze, then wet her

pants. She begged not to go in the room, Darcy Callies said.

For a while, school officials allowed Chelsy to

study in the principal's office or the main

office. After a couple of weeks, though, when

they still couldn't get Chelsy back into the

classroom, school officials recommended

transferring Chelsy to a more therapeutic setting.

Darcy Callies spent nearly a month trying to find

another school, and after hours of meetings and

research, she found another public school willing to accept Chelsy.

" Hopefully, it will work, " she said.

Budget cutbacks hurt

Making sure Chelsy gets the care she needs has

consumed most of the Callies' spare time, and

with the legislature's recent cuts to Medicaid,

their situation could get worse.

Now, Medicaid will pay for only 45 days of

hospitalization each year, which, in a bad year,

won't begin to cover Chelsy's needs. Between

emergency room visits and stays for long-term

treatment, Chelsy once spent more than two months in and out of hospitals.

" What's going to happen on the 46th day? " Darcy Callies asked.

The couple spends hours on the Internet,

researching medication, looking for services,

hoping to find something, someone who can ease their burden.

They rarely go on dates. Vacations are unheard

of. Even time alone at the house is rare.

And Darcy Callies wonders if she and her husband

will forever care for a daughter she had once hoped would become a doctor.

" I had all kinds of hopes and dreams for her, "

Darcy Callies said. Now, she said, " the most I

can hope for her is to live in an assisted living

program. I don't see her succeeding 100 percent

on her own and having a family and having kids. "

and Darcy Callies have joined a support

group where dozens of other parents in similar

situations share their grief, and that has helped.

Mostly, though, they wish others knew more about

mental illness. Then, other parents might be more

willing to have Chelsy play at their house. The

Callieses might not be so nervous to take her to

a restaurant or the grocery store. They might not

be so worried that any outburst will bring criticism of their parenting skills.

Chelsy is sick, her mother said, and her illness

makes her act differently. But she's still a

child who needs friends, birthday parties and parents who love her.

" She's a really lovable kid. I don't want people

looking at her like she's a monster, " Darcy Callies said.

Children without services

In some ways, Chelsy is lucky.

As a Medicaid recipient, she has access to

therapists and psychiatrists, comprehensive treatment plans and services.

But nearly 30,000 Colorado children who are just

as sick as Chelsy don't receive any treatment at

all, according to a 2002 report funded by the state legislature.

Their families either make too much money to

qualify for Medicaid or haven't applied for it,

don't have private insurance or have chosen not to access services.

State mental health leaders are concerned by the

increasing numbers of children who go without

services, in part because it creates a larger

financial burden on hospitals and corrections systems.

Most children can be effectively treated at home

for far less money, said Barrett, director

of the division of mental health for the Colorado Department of Human Services.

Barrett said he would like the legislature to

make mental health funding more of a priority,

but he understands that the recent state budget

cuts to mental health centers were unavoidable.

" They don't have any money to give right now, " Barrett said.

Funding for mental health won't increase until

legislators become more educated about the issue,

said Sen. anne Keller, D-Wheat Ridge.

Considered an ally by many mental health

advocates, Keller said some of her fellow

legislators don't know the difference between

mental illness and mental retardation. And

because many don't know that advancements in

treatment and medication make it possible for the

mentally ill to lead productive lives, some

lawmakers believe funding mental health is like

putting money into a " black hole, " she said.

" It's not considered a treatable illness, though

that's incorrect, " Keller said.

But families with private health insurance don't fare much better.

Because of a shortage of child psychiatrists,

they often struggle to find one willing to accept

new patients. Even then, parents might have to

pay for the appointment themselves because many

child psychiatrists no longer accept insurance.

Long-term residential treatment is usually not

covered for young children, and even if it were,

it's nearly impossible to find.

Intensive in-home therapy - which most experts

say is one of the more effective forms of

treatment - is not offered through most private insurance companies.

Marty Waters is one of the executive directors

for Anthem Behavioral Health, a Blue Cross health insurance provider.

He said Medicaid benefits are sometimes more

comprehensive because there is more money in that funding pot.

If insurance companies offered the same intensive

services, only a fraction of the families under

the plan would need them, yet everyone would pay

higher premiums for them, Waters said.

Waters acknowledged, however, that insurance

companies could do a better job of streamlining

the services offered so parents can access them more easily.

" It could be a lot more of a user-friendly system, " Waters said.

Regardless of the type of coverage - or lack

thereof - parents caring for a child with a

mental illness face extraordinary challenges,

said Carol Ann Reynolds, executive director of

the Colorado chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Families in these situations are extremely

vulnerable, she said, and often face a lifetime

of financial and emotional burden.

" There are limited resources, " Reynolds said. " They get caught in the crunch. "

cristg@... or 303-892-2231

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

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