104 Youth Mental Health: Crisis Intervention and System Change Innovation with Travis Atkinson

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Welcome to Pediatric Meltdown! In Today’s episode, our guest is Travis Atkinson.

Travis has worked in the crisis intervention field for over 20 years and describes how our mental health system of care was created with a medical model that does not meet the needs of our patients. Our offices and emergency departments are facing enormous numbers of kids who are struggling, and it is up to us to create a patient-centered system that works based on choice, agency, and freedom. Many models work: mobile crisis response and stabilization teams, peer support and recovery coaches, and integrated behavioral health in outpatient clinics. When treating mental health historically we have been wrong so many times. We must do better now. Travis closes with advice for change - lead with a servant's heart and consider the serenity prayer - grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things that can be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference.

[00:30 - 09:02] Opening Segment

• Travis Atkinson is a skilled clinician and musician who has worked in behavioral health services for 20 years.
• He is the president of the Crisis Residential Association and former Crisis Services Committee chair for the American Association of Suicidology.
• He received his BA from the University of Michigan and his master's degree from National Lewis University.
• Travis lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife and three daughters.

[09:02 - 17:04] Community Responds to Behavioral Health Emergencies with Dedicated Mental Health Crisis Lines and Mobile Crisis Teams

• There are dedicated mental health crisis lines available that can help divert people from psychiatric hospitals or emergency departments.
• Mobile crisis teams are a type of intervention that can be used to meet people in the community who are experiencing a mental health crisis.
• These teams are available in most communities and can provide support for up to 90 days.

[17:04 - 25:25] TD Solutions: How to save $5,000 a day by using mobile crisis teams

• The community mental health services are often responsible for the operation of mobile crisis teams.
• One type of team that we haven't talked about yet is the co-sponsor model, in which a clinician and a police officer or law enforcement work together.
• Reaching out to your community mental health center or your local law enforcement to find out if these teams are available and who they are available for is important.
• People with mental illness are more likely to be a victim of crime than they are to be a perpetrator of the crime.

[25:26 - 33:14] Mental health services should be available to everyone

• There is a need for psychiatric hospitals to provide high-quality treatment that meets the goals of the individual, not just keeping them safe.
• The goal of psychiatric hospitals should be to help patients develop meaningful life skills that will carry on beyond their stay.
• There is a trend toward treating patients as individuals and leveling the hierarchy between doctors and other professionals.

[33:14 - 41:22] Intervening Found Strategies to Help You

• Intervening found that other strategies...