Roundtable Addresses Youth Mental Health in Kosciusko County

Sep 4

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Leaders from across Kosciusko County convened recently for a roundtable discussion on youth mental health. The event, hosted by Bowen Health, brought together professionals from healthcare, education, law enforcement, and the judiciary to address key mental health challenges facing young people in the community.

According to Dr. Rob Ryan, President and CEO of Bowen Health, the initiative began in 2023 at a mental health roundtable requested by then-Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch. He said the discussion left participants feeling energized and inspired.

“This experience motivated us to regularly host these important discussions in our counties, which is why we're here today, said Dr. Ryan. “It's as much a listening opportunity for us as it is a collaborating opportunity.”

The event brought together the following individuals and the organizations that they represent: Judge Karin McGrath, Kosciusko County Superior Court 1; Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith; Dr. David Hoffert, Superintendent, Warsaw Community Schools; Kara Shively, Juvenile Probation Officer, Kosciusko County; and Chris McKeand, Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy. And from Bowen Health: Dr. Rob Ryan, President and CEO, Shannon Hannon, COO; Dr. Siquilla Liebetrau, VP Clinical Services; Tess Ottenweller, VP Intensive Services; and Mark Groeller, Executive Director. Moderating the discussion was Michael Murphy, Director of Community Engagement, Kosciusko County.

Identifying Challenges

Several critical issues were highlighted by the panelists, including how the internet impacts the lives of young people, the importance of understanding the effects of smoking and obesity, as well as the importance of keeping kids on track and in school, in spite of life challenges.

Overshadowing all of this are some disturbingly high numbers regarding youth suicide rates.

Dr. Liebetrau said that youth suicide rates in Indiana are higher than the national average, and that one in five Northwest Indiana youth report having suicidal thoughts. To combat these trends, she stressed the importance of open communication at home and keeping information flowing to teens and younger kids.

“These are our kids. They're having the thoughts,” said Dr. Liebetrau. It's important for us to really have those conversations and encourage our youth so they can get the help they need.”

Cyberbullying can be particularly devastating when young people are undergoing a stage of development called individuation, where they begin to form their own identities and start to question their parents' beliefs as they figure out who they are, who they want to be, and who they want to be around.

“That's why it hits especially hard when somebody starts attacking you based on the way you dress, who you hang out with, or where you're going, or even if they start making false accusations,” said Dr. Liebetrau, adding that their close attachment to social media makes them additionally vulnerable. “If you're not online, it's almost like you don't exist, so you have to be there,” she said. “And then if you are tortured online, it just makes it so much harder.”

The discussion also touched on the significant health challenges of smoking, vaping, and obesity among youth. Dr. Liebetrau said that it’s good that smoking rates are declining among youth, but vaping rates have surged, with many mistakenly believing it's safer.

“A lot of people still think that vaping is a healthy alternative. It's not,” said Dr. Liebetrau. “When we look at smoking, it really is the number one factor in both reducing life, not just number of years, but also quality of life.”

“When it comes to obesity treatment, again, that's another one of those things that we know really steal both quality of life, and the number of years you have,” she said. “That might be something that we think of as an issue for adults, but the obesity rates among youth are staggering, and even at an early age, we're now starting to see that it's leading to diabetes, to heart conditions, and all types of chronic medical conditions. So, we really don't want to wait too long to start addressing it.”

All gathered agreed that keeping kids in school is a priority for supporting their mental health.

Kara Shivel said research across the board shows that detaining or incarcerating youth is very harmful to their mental health.

“Incarcerated youth are two to four times more likely to engage in self-harming behaviors,” said Ms. Shivel. “It also has a huge and negative impact on their education.” Studies show that one-third of youth who miss a significant number of school days are likely to drop out of school. This hurts their mental health and is a consideration for both the courts and schools when dealing with kids who run afoul of the system.

“One of the biggest issues that we have right now is attendance,” said Superintendent Hoffert. “You know, suspending a student for attendance is not a good move. Finding the root cause of the problem, speaking with the students, finding out, really, what the issue is.”

Successes and Solutions

Despite the challenges, speakers highlighted several successful community initiatives. Many praised the positive impact of School Resource Officers (SROs), noting their role in building trust and positive relationships with students from a young age. Sheriff Smith said his department works hard to assign the right people to those roles. Superintendent Hoffert thinks that the effort has been a success.

“Your SROs, they are the most popular people inside our school,” said Dr. Hoffert. “They're excited every day to be with kids, and I can't thank our SROs enough.”

Kara Shivel, coordinator for the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), discussed the success of local programs that offer alternatives to secure detention, like Keeping It Real.

Keeping it Real is a credible messenger program where people in recovery come and share their stories,” Ms. Shivel said. “We know that youth who hear from people who have really been through life and the struggles, they receive that message much better than from someone who hasn’t.”

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the need for greater parent and community involvement. Dr. Hoffert pointed out that too often, parents are not aware of possible resources for their children until they encounter a crisis.

“Those are the hardest conversations I have inside my office, because the parents are saying, ‘I just wish I would have known’.”

Continued Collaboration

“I think the most valuable thing that's happening is more of a collaborative, integrative approach”, said Judge McGrath. She says regular meetings between the judiciary and organizations such as Bowen Health, the Department of Child Services, and CASA are creating new patterns that allow for opportunities to discuss the current needs of youth, while focusing on how to better address their issues. “In the same way, Bowen Health is looking at this integrated approach to wellness and so forth, we're trying to rally all of these different, interesting groups.”

“I look around the semi-circle and there's no way that we can do what we're doing in schools without each one of your help, support, collaboration, being able to bring it together,” said Superintendent Hoffer.

Tess Ottenweller lauded those gathered as doing the good work to not only provide solutions for kids, but to help strengthen them before they hit difficult times.

“We know that kids are resilient and that protective factors are so important,” Ms. Ottenweller said. “Bad choices can happen. The more positives that we're able to build into youth and families, really does make a difference and sets people on a different path.

Dr. Ryan said that this roundtable discussion is the first of many that Bowen Health will be conducting across northern Indiana.

“We want to bring people together, to determine what we can do to close the gap on those few people that continue to fall through the cracks,” said Dr. Ryan.