Families of mental health teens finding difficulty in getting help

ATLANTA — Trisha Thornton is keeping a stack of documents detailing two years of criminal conduct committed by her 15-year-old daughter Shaniya.

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“Every time I report her missing, I get a new police report,” Thornton said.

Thornton has been advocating for long-term help for her daughter, who is also living with schizoaffective disorder.

Family psychologist Roslyn Pitts Clark says Thornton’s daughter finds herself in a troubling gray area, where the crimes she commits are not serious enough for juvenile courts to send her to a detention center. And many behavioral health centers don’t have the manpower to keep up with admitting new patients.

“Seven out of 10 youth in our justice system also have some type of mental health issue, so it’s very prevalent in this population,” Clark said.

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Earlier this year, Shaniya was placed on probation under the supervision of the Fulton County Juvenile Court, at Thornton’s request for frequent running away.

Last week, Thornton says police were called after Shaniya tried to burn down a gas station in Clayton County. The owner did not press charges.

Pitts Clark says that parents in this position should try to get in touch with a psychiatric social worker, who can help parents navigate the court system and connect them with the right programs.

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Pitts Clark, says the severe understaffing at the facility is also contributing to the problem of many families being turned away.

“The healthcare system can be very, very difficult, there’s a shortage of doctors, a shortage of beds, a shortage of staff,” Pitts Clark said.

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