Over the past year, Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital has partnered with Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital in an effort to address the growing need for behavioral health services for children in the area.

With this collaboration in place, more patients are able to stay closer to home while receiving the help they need when they experience a mental health crisis.

“Life is really hard for kids,” said Heather Garrett, a pediatric nurse practitioner at the McKay-Dee Behavioral Health Unit. “There’s a lot of anxiety and depression in our youth population and we really want people to reach out for help. We have a lot of different services the public may not be aware of, but parents need to know if they’re worried about their child, they have resources to turn to and we have professionals who will provide them with the help they need.”

There are several different programs and treatment options, depending on what the child is going through. Some of those include crisis stabilization, consults with behavioral health professionals and intensive day programs.

The intensive day program, or partial hospitalization at McKay-Dee, is designed for kids to attend therapy for up to seven hours a day and then be able to return home to be with their family in the evening, Garrett said. Adolescents struggling with anxiety, depression, suicide attempts and other issues typically attend this program.

“The level of care is somewhere in between inpatient and outpatient,” Garrett said. “Kids are here for seven hours a day and they are in therapy where they learn intensive skill building. We have a very structured curriculum for groups and then individual therapy once a day.”

Garrett said the program focuses on what led to the crisis, what skills the kids can develop and how to help them recover and prevent a relapse.

“A lot of kids start by going to the emergency department, and that’s fine if that’s where the parents feel that’s the best place, but if you don’t feel like it’s an emergency, we have an assessment referral line and other services to get you the help you need as soon as possible,” Garrett said.

The statewide Assessment, Referral, Consultation Service, or ARCS, provides families with information and ways to connect to services near them. A person can call for an assessment at 801-313-7711 and can also download the SafeUT app, a confidential tip line and crisis chat for students, parents, guardians and educators.

Utah also has a mobilization stabilization program parents can call at 1-833-SAFE-FAM. A short assessment is done over the phone and a crisis team can also come to your home and intervene right there and come up with ongoing in-home stabilization. Weber Human Services and Davis Behavioral Health are also available to assist in Weber and Davis counties.

Dr. Lisa Giles, medical director of behavioral health at University of Utah Health and Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, said the number of kids with a mental health problem or crisis has been climbing over the past decade or so and spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the exact reasons for the increase in mental problems is unclear, Garrett said the U.S. surgeon general has issued multiple advisories about the impact social media, too much TV and video games has on kids.

Primary Children’s Hospital oversees all pediatric behavioral services in the state,

“Most of our kids are spending more than three hours a day on these activities,” Garrett said. “When you’re spending that amount of time, you get this dopamine overload. So when you’re done, you’re just sitting there and your regular brain goes through dopamine withdrawal and that can lead to moodiness, irritability, anxiety and depression.”

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that creates feelings of pleasure. The constant overstimulation of social media or the bright colors and flashing lights of a smartphone can cause a fight-or-flight mode, making anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other problems worse.

“Suicide is the leading cause of death for young people,” Giles said. “One in five kids nationally and in Utah face an emotional disorder. There has also been a 300% increase for kids presenting to Intermountain emergency departments. These numbers aren’t unique to Utah. There’s clearly a need everywhere and we need to continue doing everything we can to help.”

According to Primary Children’s Hospital, suicide remains a leading cause of death among Utah youth. One in five 3- to 17-year-olds across the nation face a mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder. Last year, 45% of Utah youth who felt sad, hopeless or suicidal reported they did not talk to anyone about it.

There are a number of tips parents can follow and warning signs to watch for, according to the hospital. They include having an open conversation with your child. Primary Children’s has a free “Talk to Tweens” resource to help parents and teachers start conversations with children, helping them identify, express and manage their feelings in a healthy way. More information can be found at TalkToTweens.org.

According to the hospital, it’s also important to watch for changes in behavior, eating habits or mood, including isolation or withdrawal from friends or activities. Consistent struggling is another warning sign. While rough days happen to everyone, if it’s happening every day or several times a week, it needs to be addressed.

Giles said once a child is assessed, a crisis team will work with them and their family to de-escalate the immediate issue and provide intervention by coming up with a solid plan.

“We want to make sure we provide stabilization as quickly as possible and depending on the child and the situation, we will come up with a plan that might include therapy, therapy with medication, partial hospitalization or, in really severe cases, we get them an inpatient open bed.”

Giles said advances are always in the works to help kids cope with mental health challenges. In 2025, there will be a brand new building in Taylorsville very specific to behavioral health. Experts are also hoping for a walk-in crisis center, expanding telehealth and tele-crisis work to rural areas and regularly involving pediatricians. Partial hospitalization programs are also offered at the Miller Family Campus at Primary Children’s Hospital, including the Miller Family Campus Lehi, the Salt Lake Campus and soon at Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital.

“I’m pretty optimistic. Kids are pretty resilient and there is hope out there,” Giles said. “Treatment works and there is hope and help available.”

In addition, Garrett and Giles said parents should never feel guilty, just as they wouldn’t feel guilty if their child developed diabetes.

“It’s not your fault. We as parents try our best. What’s important is recognizing you are doing what you can to get the help and support for your child,” Giles said.

The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling 988.