This article was produced as a project for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s 2018 California Fellowship.
Mental Health
“I have bad news for you,” my editor said during a phone call in late August 2017. “We’re closing in two weeks.”
One consistent memory I have from reporting on California’s mental health system for low-income children is repeatedly asking myself, “Why is this so hard?”
“The best policy we can pursue is try to reduce access to firearms among people who are suicidal," one researcher says.
While Caribbean "barrel children" typically receive money and goods, they often lack the emotional support they need. Reporter Melissa Noel shares lessons from the field.
Emotional neglect, physical abuse, divorce, a household riven by addiction — science shows that traumas like these in childhood cause poorer health later in life, both mentally and physically.
This story was produced as part of a project for the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism, a program of the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.
“Access varies quite dramatically depending on where you are,” said Kim Lewis of the National Health Law Program. “There isn’t a lot being done to ensure accountability in each county.”
A lack of mental health professionals in rural counties is made worse by high rates of substance abuse, financial stress and isolation, which contribute to depression.
Due to lack of funding and stigma, law enforcement is often on the front lines for mental health crises and the aftermath of suicides in California's Mendocino County.