Oklahoma hospital says more needs to be done for kids and teens suffering mental health issues

By Jason Burger

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — While mental health has become a huge focus nationwide, some point out it’s not just adults, and more needs to be done for the youth.

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OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center said the situation has been so serious that it has added extra beds to its emergency room to keep up, but doctors say there’s still more that can be done to tackle the issue.

The hospital said cases with kids have become a daily occurrence, with several reasons for the uptick.

“After an evening in the ER, we’ll come in during the morning and probably have four new people to see that are in crisis and emergencies,” said Dr. Robyn Cowperthwaite, consultation physician for Oklahoma Children’s Hospital.

OU Health said about 15 years ago, only one or two kids would come into the hospital with severe mental health problems. Now, it is happening every single shift.

“We can see 10 to 14 people a day sometimes,” Cowperthwaite said.

Cowperthwaite works with children and teens regularly and told KOCO 5 that part of the increase stems from the lack of trained professionals and resources.

“We don’t have the numbers needed for outpatient therapists or psychiatrists or psychologists, social workers. There are really long wait times,” Cowperthwaite said.

She said there are kids that need treatment between five and 10 days at times, and the biggest driver of mental health issues is comparing their own lives to those of others through social media.

“Having the sense that things seem to be better for other people than they are for me,” Cowperthwaite said.

She said young girls are a specific category where this is prevalent, and even though kids and teens can differentiate between reality and what’s online, the digital world still takes a toll.

“Kids can know that, and they’re still susceptible to those social comparisons, that this person looks perfect, their life looks perfect, they’re always on vacation, and it’s quite unrealistic,” Cowperthwaite said.

A second big factor is sleep. Kids need it, but they aren’t getting enough. It sounds simple, but when these kids can’t put their phones down, there’s a cost.

“Teenagers need about nine to 10 hours of sleep, and often that’s not happening. There’s that fear of missing out, our kids get FOMO, and they’re aware of that phone all the time, listening for texts and dings,” Cowperthwaite said.

There are plans for a 72-bed psychiatric hospital at OU Health, which is planned to open in late 2026.

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