LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Lisa Dansby Williams loves connecting students in need with mental health resources.

"It's just been hard for many of the students and their families to navigate some of the resulting issues of the pandemic, whether that be domestic violence within the family, homelessness, maybe mom, dad lost a job," she said.

As the need rises, services are stretched thin.

"We do have a limited pool of mental health professionals to employ. Some of the main issues are that they are moving to different platforms to provide services. Some have been burnt out themselves by the pandemic and some of the increase of need for services and so that's been a major issue as well," Dansby said.

The national recommendation for school counselors is 1 for every 250 students. According to the National Association of School Counselors, only 17.8% of school districts met that requirement. Only 4.2% of urban school districts met it, according to pre-pandemic numbers.

"We are definitely seeing an increase in the number of students, families, and staff, and even administrators that are referring students and families to us," said Alma Lopez, who is a school counselor at a California middle school.

"It's been a challenge, you know, we're putting in some full days and then some and so definitely the need to have more mental health professionals in the school building is an essential need right now," she said.

What's been helping, Lopez said, is the waning stigma around mental health and the increased awareness from lawmakers. However, she believes more needs to be done, including help for counselors.

"More people need to actually understand the role of the school counselor and of mental health professionals right in the school building," she said.

For mental health workers, no matter what assistance comes, they're going to show up for the students, and be their much-needed rock, even if everything is so uncertain

"Right now there's a greater need to help family, so if I can make it happen, that's what I try to do," Williams said.

CINCINNATI —

Mason teacher and Sycamore School District coach John Benham is running 50 miles in one day, but it's for a good cause.

With the month of May being Mental Health Awareness month, Benham is raising awareness and help break down stigmas surrounding mental health by running.

On Saturday, Bigger Than The Trail, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, is hosting an in-person and virtual race to help raise funds for mental health counseling.

Benham has decided to run 50 miles and is asking for donations and pledges to help reach his goal of $5,000. All of the proceeds will directly supply mental health counseling for those in need.

If he can reach his goal, Bigger Than The Trail will be able to offer a full year of counseling for 2 to 3 people. Benham says the counseling is $180 a month and approximately $4,300 to $6,500 is needed to achieve this. The counseling can also be split between multiple individuals in need.

Benham will be running back and forth on Mason-Montgomery Road until he reaches his goal of 50 miles (10 times back and forth on a 5 mile route).

Benham says he's named this event 'R250' because it signifies his run to 50 as well as his 50th birthday, as Saturday is his birthday!

This content is imported from Facebook.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

If you would like to donate to help Benham reach his goal, you can do so here.

Workplaces worldwide made efforts to prioritize mental health at the onset of the pandemic. Many companies are now starting to roll back on those efforts two years later, a survey from headspace health found.

Just 25% of employees said their workplace still focused on mental health. Meanwhile, a survey from the American Psychological Association found there is still a significant need for resources.

About 60% of employees reported experiencing negative impacts of work-related stress.

“We definitely don't want to see that fade back into the shadows,” said Dennis P. Stolle, a senior director of applied psychology at the APA. “It's a critically important issue, and it sends the wrong message to employees if companies begin to pull back from an emphasis on employee well-being.”

As an employee, he said, the biggest thing you can do to advocate for mental health resources is provide feedback to your employer.

“Some employers may be at a loss as to what should they actually do,” he said. “The science is clear in the peer-reviewed literature that good employee psychological well-being leads to factors like higher levels of employee engagement, more innovation, higher levels of team performance and all of that ultimately contributes to higher financial returns.”

DENVER, Colo. — Not caring for a child’s mental health can negatively impact our economy. New research by the nonprofit On Our Sleeves shows parents spend up to half their day thinking about their child’s mental health, and that costs companies money and time.

More than two-thirds of working parents say they are distracted at their jobs because they are really concerned about their kid's mental health.

Mother of two Carrie Gerdes struggled with this personally. She was a teacher, and at the beginning of the pandemic, her son was home doing remote learning on his own. Gerdes said that’s when she noticed her son was struggling with anxiety and depression.

“He was left completely all alone and just here, you know, ‘Log on to the computer,' and for him, it just wasn't a good space,” said Gerdes. “He really didn't have that sense of belonging and connection.”

When Gerdes realized this was not the usual teenage angst, she couldn’t stay focused at work. She eventually left teaching to work in human relations, hoping to have more of a work-life balance.

“You’re torn. You want to take care of your children, but then part of taking care of your children is having a job that helps support them,” said Gerdes. “It was all I could do to kind of hold it together,” said Gerdes. “My mind just spinning the whole time, and my heart just was, you know, hurting and wondering about how my son was doing.”

Luckily, her boss at her new job noticed.

“He goes, ‘Just go home. Be at home with your husband, so you can take care of your son,’” she recalled.

Unfortunately, this isn’t how most employees are treated. Almost half (45%) of parents felt they could lose their job if they left work to care for a child’s mental health.

“It's really not a fringe problem. It is something that is happening,” said Marti Bledsoe Post, executive director of On Our Sleeves.

On Our Sleeves provides mental health care resources to parents, children and companies. It aims to help parents and children start conversations about mental health and provides free tools and resources to improve mental health for children.

Bledsoe Post said companies have a lot to lose when they don’t help employees address their kids’ mental health because 75% of parents are missing at least part of a workday once a month and 50% feel unprepared for meetings because of their child’s mental health.

“The modern workplace is not necessarily set up to support an employee through a sustained sort of like ongoing challenge,” said Bledsoe Post.

But she said workplaces can be set up to help.

“If we think as a society about what's a big problem that faces us in this generation and the next generation, I think the mental health of our children is something that we can align on,” said Bledsoe Post.

So, what can companies do?

Bledsoe Post recommends companies offer counseling and access to mental health care resources to employees and their dependents. That can look like therapy sessions or subscription access to mental healthcare apps. She said companies can also offer specific paid time off for mental health needs and make mental health part of company culture to de-stigmatize employees talking about it.

“The more we do talk about it, then hopefully the more opportunities, you know, employers will give to provide more mental health help, but then also people will hopefully feel more comfortable to talk about it and deal with it,” said Gerdes.

The more Gerdes and her employer talked about mental health, the more her son thrived. Her boss was able to connect her with different resources and offered emotional support.

Now, Gerdes’ son is thriving in school and sports.

“I do feel so taken care of here. You have to be able to thrive personally to then come and thrive professionally,” said Gerdes.

Bledsoe Post said much of the Great Resignation involves parents switching jobs to be more present for their kids, and she said companies can retain the best talent when they acknowledge this as well.

Adults ages 19 to 64 in the United States should be screened for anxiety disorders, according to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released Tuesday.

The final recommendation, published in the medical journal JAMA, marks the first time the USPSTF has made a final recommendation on screening for anxiety disorders in adults, including those who are pregnant and postpartum. The task force found “insufficient evidence” to screen for anxiety in older adults.

The USPSTF, a group of independent medical experts whose recommendations help guide doctors’ decisions and influence insurance plans, also continues to recommend that all adults be screened for major depressive disorder, including those who are pregnant or postpartum and older adults.

The recommendation is consistent with the task force’s 2016 recommendation on depression screenings.

While rates of clinical depression had been rising steadily in the United States, they jumped significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. In general, about 1 in 6 adults will have depression at some time in their life, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And although depression and anxiety are different conditions, they commonly can happen together – and such screening recommendations can help clinicians identify which patients may need treatment for both conditions or one versus the other.

“Anxiety disorders are common, and they can really impact people’s quality of life, and what the task force found is that screening for anxiety disorders in the general adult population can lead to identifying these conditions early and then, if those people who are identified get linked up with appropriate care, they will benefit,” said Dr. Michael Silverstein, vice chair of the USPSTF and director of the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute at Brown University.

“So it really is extremely good news for the delivery of preventive services for the American public,” he said. “We also found that in the older adult population, which is defined as age 65 and older, that the task force really needs more evidence to weigh the risks and benefits of screening for anxiety disorders. And for that older adult population, we’re calling for urgent new research.”

‘We have not been treating mental health at the same level as physical health’

USPSTF researchers noted in their anxiety screening recommendation statement that most people with anxiety disorders don’t receive treatment within the first year of symptoms, if ever – showing a need for more robust screening.

“Only 11% of U.S. adults with an anxiety disorder started treatment within the first year of onset; the median time to treatment initiation was 23 years,” the researchers wrote. “A U.S. study of 965 primary care patients found that only 41% of patients with an anxiety disorder were receiving treatment for their disorder.”

Once the new screening recommendations are practiced in the real world, the results may reveal that anxiety disorders are much more prevalent than previously thought, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, who was not involved in the recommendation statements.

“Anxiety has been way under the radar for a long time, and so I think it’s good that they are recommending for the broad population to be screened. When we start screening for anxiety, we’re going to find a lot more of it than we thought we had,” he said, adding that the nation should also prepare to make mental health services and treatments more easily accessible amid the ongoing mental health crisis.

“I think it’s an opportunity for us to get our hands around this crisis before we have a mental health emergency,” Benjamin said. “So we definitely have to do more. We know as a nation, we have under-invested in mental health. We have not put as much money into mental health. We have not been treating mental health at the same level as physical health. And we know that people who need mental health services are really struggling to find providers to care for them.”

What screening looks like

Medical professionals can screen for anxiety disorders using questionnaires and scales, such as asking about feeling on edge, not being able to stop or control worrying or having trouble relaxing, for example.

Some questions used to screen for depression include asking about feeling hopeless, having trouble concentrating, losing interest in daily activities or thoughts about hurting yourself. Major depressive disorder is defined as at least two weeks of mild to severe persistent feelings of sadness or lack of interest in everyday activities, according to the USPSTF.

Any positive screening result should be confirmed with a diagnostic assessment to determine the severity of symptoms and identify any other psychological concerns, and then patients should be given care. Potential harms of screening include the risk of a false positive, leading to unnecessary appointments or unnecessary treatment, according to the USPSTF, but for most adults, screening and follow-up care can reduce symptoms of anxiety disorders and depression.

Effective treatments for anxiety disorders can include talking with a therapist, known as psychotherapy, or medications such as antidepressants or beta blockers, as well as relaxation or stress management therapies. Treatments for depression also can include antidepressant medication or psychotherapy, alone or in combination.

If left untreated, major depressive disorder “can interfere with daily functioning and can be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events, exacerbation of comorbid conditions, or increased mortality,” according to the USPSTF recommendation. Only about half of people with major depression are identified.

A call for more research on suicide risks

Research suggests that anxiety disorders and depression may be associated with suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts and other types of suicidal behaviors.

But the new USPSTF recommendations state that there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against screening specifically for suicide risk in adults who are not showing signs or symptoms, which is consistent with the task force’s 2014 recommendation on the issue.

“So if someone goes to the doctor or their primary care provider and expresses the idea of self-harm or wanting to hurt themselves or wanting to die by suicide, by all means, that provider needs to do everything they possibly can to help the patient in front of them,” Silverstein said.

“As a task force, we are not reviewing the evidence for that population,” he said. “We’re reviewing the evidence for people who come to their primary care provider without any signs or symptoms and having either the primary care provider or someone in the primary care provider’s office ask them a series of screening questions to assess their risk for suicide.”

In the new recommendations, the USPSTF calls for more research on suicide risks among people who are not showing signs or symptoms.

“Someone experiencing death by suicide is a tragedy,” Silverstein said. “Because the suicide rate in this country has been increasing, there are so many people who have experienced a loved one having died by suicide. So this recommendation is really important, and that importance to me underlines that the American public deserves the highest quality evidence around screening for this really, really serious condition, which is suicide risk.”

Mental health experts and advocates emphasize the importance of suicide risk assessments among adults diagnosed with anxiety and major depressive disorder.

“Although not called out in the USPSTF Recommendation Statement, a positive screen result for anxiety should be immediately followed with clinical evaluation for suicidality,” Dr. Murray Stein and Dr. Linda Hill, both of the University of California, San Diego, wrote in an editorial that accompanied the new recommendations in JAMA.

“The uptake of these new anxiety screening recommendations should provide an impetus and an opportunity for primary care clinicians to become more comfortable with diagnosing and treating anxiety disorders, which may require additional training,” they wrote. “Anxiety disorders can be distressing and disabling, and appropriate recognition and treatment can be life-altering and, in some cases, lifesaving, for patients.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s 988 hotline, intended to help anyone experiencing a mental health emergency, was back up and running Friday after a daylong outage.

The call service, which was launched in July, was restored shortly before midnight on Thursday. People experiencing a mental health crisis were still able to reach a mental health counselor by texting 988 or by visiting 988lifeline.org to start a chat.

The federal government is investigating the hotline's outage, Health and Human Services spokeswoman Sarah Lovenheim said in a tweet late Thursday night.

“While HHS and VA immediately acted to provide support to 988 callers via text, chat, and alternate numbers, the disruption of phone service was unacceptable, and HHS continues to investigate the root cause of the outage,” she tweeted, referencing the acronym for Veterans Affairs.

The 988 hotline is a national helpline staffed with mental health counselors around the country that’s designed to be as easy to remember as the emergency line, 911. Since its launch, the hotline has fielded roughly 8,000 phone calls a day from those seeking mental health help.

The telecommunications company Intrado, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest U.S. provider of e911 services and provides the backend plumbing for emergency communication services like the 988 helpline. The company did not return repeated requests for comment.

In a statement on Intrado's website on Thursday, the company said it was “working as quickly as possible to resume full service.” The outage also impacted the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Disaster Distress Helpline.

Telecoms analyst Roger Entner, of Recon Analytics, said he didn't think there was "anything malicious” in the outage.

“Stuff like this almost always happens when an upgrade goes wrong,” Entner said. Normally, these outages occur when “they try to improve or fix something small and they break something big. That’s the most likely answer here.”

The homicide rate for older U.S. teenagers rose to its highest point in nearly 25 years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the suicide rate for adults in their early 20s was the worst in more than 50 years, government researchers said Thursday.Video above: COVID-19 pandemic increases awareness about youth suicideThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report examined the homicide and suicide rates among 10- to 24-year-olds from 2001 to 2021.The increase is alarming and "reflects a mental health crisis among young people and a need for a number of policy changes," said Dr. Steven Woolf, a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher who studies U.S. death trends and wasn't involved in the CDC report.Experts cited several possible reasons for the increases, including higher rates of depression, limited availability of mental health services and the number of guns in U.S. homes.Guns were used in 54% of suicides and 93% of homicides among the age group in 2021, the most recent year for which statistics were available."Picture a teenager sitting in their bedroom feeling desperate and making a decision, impulsively, to take their own life," Woolf said. If they have access to a gun, "it's game over."Suicide and homicide were the second and third leading causes of death for 10- to 24-year-olds, after a category of accidental deaths that included motor vehicle crashes, falls, drownings and overdoses. Other researchers have grouped the data by the method of death and concluded that guns are now the biggest killer of U.S. children.Earlier this year, Woolf and other researchers looking at CDC data noted dramatic increases in child and adolescent death rates overall at the beginning of the pandemic and found suicide and homicide were essential factors.The report also found:Suicide and homicide death rates remained far higher for older teenagers and young adults than they were for 10- to 14-year-olds.In 2021, there were about 2,900 suicides in youths ages 10 to 19, and 4,200 in 20- to 24-year-olds. About 3,000 homicide deaths were reported in the younger group, and nearly 3,900 in the adults in their early 20s.The homicide death rate jumped from 8.9 deaths per 100,000 teens aged 15 to 19 in 2019 to 12.3 in 2020. It rose to 12.8 deaths per 100,000 in 2021, the highest since 1997, according to CDC data.Homicide deaths became more common than suicide deaths among 15- to 19-year-olds, while suicide was more common in the younger and older age groups.While large increases were seen in homicide rates for young Black and Hispanic people in the U.S., there were no significant increases for their white counterparts, other CDC data shows.Among 20- to 24-year-olds, the homicide death rate jumped 34% from 2019 to 2020 — from 13.4 per 100,000 population to 18 per 100,000. It held stable in 2021, but the suicide rate rose enough in 2021 — to 19.4 per 100,000 — to surpass the homicide rate.Suicide death rates in children and teens were rising before COVID-19, but they jumped up at the beginning of the pandemic. Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, a psychiatrist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said the reasons may be hard to pinpoint, but that isolation during COVID-19 lockdowns could be a factor."There is a misperception that if you talk to young people about depression, they'll get depressed. A don't-ask, don't-tell policy for depression is not effective," Trivedi said. "The earlier we can identify the ones who need help, the better chance we'll have at saving lives."

RALEIGH, N.C. — Every Thursday afternoon, come rain or shine, college students start lining up. Homemade baked goods are set out on tables and hugs are ready.

Meet the group known as the Free Moms.

"Here you'll find free mamas, papas, grandmas, and dogs,” said Nancy Nelson, who founded the group several years ago at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. "I just say, ‘Welcome back home. Do you feel a little home?’ And every kid goes, 'Yeah,' and I say, 'Good. I hope it's more every week!'"

All of her kids are grown, but Nelson felt a need to help students here feel less alone.

"We do feel like their mamas," she said.

What started with one mom now numbers more than 80 moms and dads, including Kate Theriot and her husband, Tom.

"Nancy started sharing what she was doing over here and to be honest, I was like, 'Not my wheelhouse. Not that, no. That's not what I do,'” Kate Theriot recalled, “but Tom always says I make best friends in the grocery store in line."

With that, they both began volunteering.

"I went to school here. I graduated in 1982,” Tom Theriot said, “and I remember how stressful it was to be here and it seems like stress has been built up so much more. "

So, along with 80 other parents, they all lend an ear, share a kind word or offer a hug. It quickly gained a fan following among the students.

"I just felt like it was a really awesome opportunity to get a piece of home and connect with people," said student Alaina Kelly.

Anna Thomasson accompanied Kelly out to the “Free Moms” gathering.

"I thought, 'Hey, that's so cool,' and you get a great homemade snack,” Thomasson said. “So, I love it! I think it's really great."

Student Sydnie Parks makes sure she stops by each week to say hello to Kate Theriot.

"I'm always like, 'Let me get to the Free Moms because it's not really about the deserts. I will take free food. I am a college student. But what the moms do is just really nice and just gives extra support that the students really need," Parks said.

A 2021 Healthy Minds study collected data from more than 370 college campuses around the country and found that 60% of students met the criteria of facing at least one mental health issue.

In addition, 12% of college students across the country reported contemplating suicide. At NC State, four students died by suicide last semester, driving home the mission for these free moms and dads.

"There's been a lot of suicides on campus, and there's a real need for people to be brought out of the shells and just be in a positive place," said Tom Theriot.

Kate Theriot says she sees how the students react to their presence.

"They're so moved because they just don't expect anyone to be thinking about them and to not only think about them but to do something about it,” she said. “And that's what we want to do; we want to do something that lets the students know they're not alone."

It's an isolation some students say can be easy to feel when you're away from home.

"I'm actually a transfer student here. I transferred from App [Appalachian State University], which is about three hours away from here,” said student Aniston Boswell, “and this would have helped me a lot up there because I didn't have my parents up there and just knowing that this is here helps a lot of students here."

Nancy Nelson said she would like to see Free Moms start popping up on college campuses nationwide.

"When anyone gets out of their comfort zone and gives unconditional love, it changes them again,” she said. “It changes the person. It changes the atmosphere and that's what this world needs.'"

It’s also what these students are getting.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — By all projections, a shortage of staff in social work and mental health had already loomed before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the pandemic, however, those issues haven’t changed, and the demand has exploded.

Bella Levitt is a second-year graduate student at Oakland University, just north of Detroit.

“My last internship was out of a high school," she said, "and even with the high schoolers, there were so many people on me and my supervisors’ caseload that we couldn't give everyone the adequate care that we wish we could have.”

A survey by the American Psychological Association showed 79% of those working in the field reported an increase in patients with anxiety. Sixty-six percent reported an increase in patients with depression. But just as instructive was what they said about themselves. Nearly half said, “I have not been able to meet the demand for treatment from my patients.” Almost as many said, “I feel burned out.”

Brent Wirth is the CEO of Easterseals MORC, which offers mental health services.

“Fifteen years ago, all we talked about was how we best can support individuals," he said. "Now, the same conversation is, 'How best do we support our own team members?' They don’t want to just change lives. They want to save lives. And so, when they’re seeing so many different people, and their caseloads are 30% too high, that takes a toll on their own mental health.”

Easterseals MORC and Oakland University recently announced a partnership. They will offer paid internships for OU students at Easterseals MORC, in addition to 10 full scholarships for OU grad students.

“Many students will kind of get that real-world exposure and experience," said Maria Beam, who runs the social work program at OU.

“We're going to get people excited and want to work in this field," Wirth added. "And if they want to commit to us, we're committing to them."

The collaboration might add a few more names to the social work roles. Similar plans in Congress aim to fund hundreds of residencies for new psychiatrists each year.

“One of my professors asked me, 'What do you really want to do?'" Levitt said. "And all I could say was that I wanted to help people. To me, people who reach out for social work services often just need somebody to listen.”

After two decades in the spotlight, the Jonas Brothers are still chasing butterflies.

Joe, Kevin and Nick Jonas are releasing their sixth studio record “The Album” on Friday, before embarking on a U.S. tour in August. Nick says the band of brothers are putting themselves in new positions so they can feel “butterflies and excitement” before stepping onstage.

One of those butterfly moments will come when the trio kicks off their tour at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 12.

“It’s our favorite baseball team’s stadium for our entire lives,” Nick says. “We got to go and kind of go to a game and meet some of the players about a month ago. And we were just looking around, thinking the 10-year-old version of us that was sitting up in the highest nosebleed section seat would not believe that we’re going to play this place twice.”

All three band members now have young families and Joe says this means the brothers are “quicker to return home” after touring. But that doesn’t mean that they are any less excited about hitting the road.

“We’re treating this like the best tour we’ve ever done. And I think we intend to make it that experience for fans as well,” Joe says.

They’re also looking forward to hanging out as brothers too, with Nick saying that touring “doesn’t feel like work.”

The tour will criss-cross the U.S. from mid-August until October, with the trio being ultra careful to avoid burnout. The band’s physical and mental health is a priority, says Joe, who believes they can look after themselves and have “a blast while doing it.”

“We’ve been burnt out before and then you’re like, ‘I still got 20 more shows on this tour,’” he says. “So we all have our own perspective ways of going about that, and we just make sure that that’s prioritized and also that we think the three of us are communicating as best as we can.”

The brothers have set aside a period for family after the release and promo duties for “The Album,” before gearing up to tour in August.

As the importance of mental health becomes more widely accepted in the United States, men are still battling the stigma that it should not be discussed.

But that changed recently when famous MMA fighter Paddy “the Baddie” Pimblett delivered a moving public message after a fight, saying he has been struggling himself.

In his post-fight speech, Pimblett spoke about a close friend of his who had taken his life only days before the fight. He urged men to talk about their issues.

“I’d rather my mate cry on my shoulder than go to his funeral," he said.

The speech was an important message to men worldwide.

“I saw that clip of Paddy and I was just stopped. I had that sense of 'finally,'” said Eric French, a psychiatrist at the Mind Spa in Denver. “[Men] have these conceptions about [themselves] that we’re supposed to be strong, stoic, press forward no matter what is going on but we are human beings and that means there are aspects of ourselves that are no less real if we acknowledge them or not; that being our emotional state. And if acknowledging your emotional state makes you vulnerable, that’s not a bad thing.”

“I was always taught that a man is supposed to be strong, courageous. You bottle up all your feelings,” said Sam Peterson, a retired war veteran.

Peterson knows about that stigma first-hand. He was a bomb technician in Afghanistan for more than four years. The PTSD he developed from his time in the Army nearly led him to take his own life in 2014.

“It was very much like panic attacks, and, you know, I very nearly ended my own life because of it,” he said. “I had my .45 in my hand, you know, ready to pull the trigger and I got a text message from one of my very good friends and he’s like hey man come over. I sat down on the couch and I just bawled my eyes out for like three hours. Just letting it all out and it felt like someone had just taken my soul out of my body and just washed it in bleach and stuck it back in.”

After the speech by Pimblett, who is from the U.K., mental health clinicians in the region reported seeing more men coming to their practice for help.

“You have to have someone there who can hold up a mirror to your biases and help you break them down or you’re just going to be stuck in the same rut,” said Peterson.

“If you’re struggling and you get the sense that this feeling you’re having is not going away, it’s not going to go away,” added French. “It’s going to stay there until you face it.”

WASHINGTON —

State attorneys general have launched a nationwide investigation into TikTok and its possible harmful effects on young users' mental health, widening government scrutiny of the wildly popular video platform.

The investigation was announced Wednesday by a number of states led by California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont.

U.S. lawmakers and federal regulators have criticized TikTok, citing practices and computer-driven promotion of content they say can endanger the physical and mental health of young users. The platform has an estimated 1 billion monthly users and is especially popular with teens and younger children.

Last month, Texas opened an investigation into TikTok's alleged violations of children's privacy and facilitation of human trafficking.

"Our children are growing up in the age of social media — and many feel like they need to measure up to the filtered versions of reality that they see on their screens," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. "We know this takes a devastating toll on children's mental health and well-being."

Bonta said the investigation aims to determine if TikTok is violating the law in promoting its platform to young people.

Government officials and child-safety advocates maintain that TikTok's computer algorithms pushing video content to users can promote eating disorders and even self-harm and suicide to young viewers.

TikTok has said it focuses on age-appropriate experiences, noting that some features, such as direct messaging, are not available to younger users. The company says it has tools in place, such as screen-time management, to help young people and parents moderate how long children spend on the app and what they see.

"We care deeply about building an experience that helps to protect and support the well-being of our community, and appreciate that the state attorneys general are focusing on the safety of younger users," the company said Wednesday. "We look forward to providing information on the many safety and privacy protections we have for teens."

Early last year, after federal regulators ordered TikTok to disclose how its practices affect children and teenagers, the platform tightened its privacy practices for users under 18.

As its popularity has swelled, TikTok has come under a barrage of criticism from state officials, federal regulators, consumer advocates and lawmakers of both parties. Republicans have especially homed in on the company's ties to China. TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.

"TikTok threatens the safety, mental health and well-being of our kids," Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the senior Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said at a hearing Tuesday.

Late last year a similar coalition of state attorneys general began an investigation into the Instagram photo-sharing platform, owned by Facebook parent Meta Platforms, and its effects on young people. The action came after former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen revealed internal company research showing apparent harm to some teen users of Instagram.

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Joe Biden asked Congress to bolster privacy protections for children, including by banning advertising targeted at them and with measures aimed at reducing the promotion of content that contributes to addiction.

Critics of TikTok have pointed, for example, to incidents around the country that came to light last fall in which students vandalized school bathrooms and other equipment, and stole supplies — apparently in response to a viral TikTok challenge called "devious licks." Also last fall, The Wall Street Journal reported that teenage girls had been seeking medical care for the sudden onset of tics, such as jerky motions and verbal outbursts; doctors said TikTok videos on Tourette syndrome could be a factor.

We throw around the word hero a lot. For some, it can be a service member, a police officer, a frontline health care worker: people we idolize for their courageousness, their noble qualities, their achievements.

During the pandemic, however, the definition of a hero changed for some.

“My dad was my hero for sure," said Caroline Keith, a registered nurse.

"My wife, just because of the way she’s handled everything," added Dr. Namdi Nwafo, an internal medicine pediatrician.

For millions of frontline workers across the country, the stress of the pandemic has led to certain hardships we sometimes think heroes are immune to or can power through. But just as nurses and doctors have shown up for us, they have had people show up for them.

“There was one extremely difficult shift that I had and to be completely honest I left in tears," said Keith. "I remember actually calling him when I was on my way home, and I was like, 'What did I do wrong? I keep replaying this, am I missing something?' And he was like, 'You did the best you can. That’s all you really can do,' and that helped, too, because again with nurses hearing that from a physician and from someone you’ve looked up to your whole life, it was extra special.”

Dr. Nwafo agrees. His wife, Nanka, has managed to home school and care for their two kids, work at her law firm, and support Nwafo.

“Every single day that I leave the house, or I come back, I see [how much she cares]," he said. “We started this process, especially when she was going through that stressful time, and we’d take a walk. It’s something we now take our time to do, specifically just us. We still have the time with the kids, but it’s something we actively take our time to do together.”

By definition, a hero is someone we idealize for extraordinary traits, but to some, a hero is someone who can simply be there, always.

(LEX 18) — The Kentucky House of Representatives has unanimously passed a bill that would require schools to recognize mental health as a reason for an excused absence.

House Bill 44 was sponsored by state Representatives Bobby McCool, of Paintsville, and Lisa Willner, of Louisville. The bill was recommended last year by high school students within their respective communities: Cole Butcher of Johnson County, Kameron Julian of Jefferson County, as well as Amira Bowman of Marion County.

"I'm so proud of the students from across Kentucky who brought the idea forward to allow excused absences for student mental health days," said Rep. Willner. "This is their bill, and it makes explicit that mental health is health. I think that’s one of the important lessons the pandemic has taught us."

"This bill represents one important step in supporting student mental health, but there's more work to be done. I hope that the passage of HB 44 in the House today sends a clear message to Kentucky students that their elected representatives are listening to them, and that we care about them and their well-being."

House Bill 44 now heads to the state Senate for its consideration.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the bright lights of the holiday season now dark, experts say it is a critical time to make sure people don’t feel dim in the new year.

“It cuts across all age groups,” said Debra Wentz, president and CEO of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies.

Wentz said that during this time of year, winter blues - or seasonal affective disorder - usually affects about 64 percent of people.

“The likely culprit and cause of post-holiday blues is an adrenaline come down,” Wentz said.

While these “winter blues” usually last a few weeks, Wentz said isolation because of the COVID pandemic has made it worse and, in some ways, more intense.

“People are just tired of not, you know, getting back to normal,” she said.

However, there are some things experts say people can do to help themselves deal with the winter blues.

The first: practice self-care by exercising, getting enough sleep and eating well, especially foods rich in vitamin D. People normally get vitamin D when exposed to sunshine, but don’t get as much of it during the winter months.

“There are some studies that show there is a correlation with diet, as far as diminishing the effect of SAD, or seasonal affective disorder,” said Dr. John Martinez, a primary care physician.

Experts also say talking to others by phone or even online can help. Even if you can’t see them in person, connections make a difference.

Volunteering can also have an impact. Giving back can help people feel less lonely and helps strengthen a sense of gratitude.

Pets can also make a big difference in emotional health.

“Letting our pets help us to get healthy is a great way to go," said Temma Martin, with Best Friends Animal Society in Salt Lake City. "Even just eye contact with our dogs and cats is healthy, because those illicit a feeling of love and comfort for us."

If things don’t get better within a few weeks, it may be time to reach out for help from a mental health professional.

“It's also important not to be hard on yourself. Just be patient. This will pass,” Wentz said. “Sometimes you just need to take some time to bounce back.”

The pandemic has taken a toll on many people's mental health, leading health agencies across the country to set up hotlines for those who are struggling.

The states of Illinois, New York and Texas and the city of Marietta, Georgia, are just some places that have set up hotlines so people to reach out.

Jennifer Battle with the Harris Center for Mental Health in Texas said the agency has been getting phone calls from health care workers, parents and teachers.

"It can be people calling about themselves, it can be people calling about their family members or loved ones," Battle said. "Most people that call this line are calling about their own anxiousness or concerns that they're experiencing."

The Harris Center for Mental Health's hotline specifically helps people with whatever they're feeling in the moment. Battle said callers usually have anxiety from an ongoing sense of uncertainty, which has been common during the pandemic.

"We spend a lot of time helping people with staying in the moment. What are some things we can do right now to mitigate some of that anxiousness they may be feeling?" Battle said.

The hotlines like the one offered by the Harris Center for Mental Health help people beyond just a phone call.

If the caller is dealing with a crisis, experts refer them to a crisis hotline. If callers feel like they need ongoing help, experts give resources to find that support. Experts refer people dealing with grief or financial problems stemming from the pandemic to groups that handle those specific issues.

Experts at the Harris Center for Mental Health say they're seeing the same call volume during the holidays this year as they saw last year. That means that as the pandemic continues, so does the need for help.

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Therapists and mental health care providers are seeing more first-time patients than ever before because of the pandemic.

Mental health crisis hotline workers are helping those in their darkest moments. It’s no easy job, but it’s one Nicole H. knew she wanted.

“I found a big passion with providing care to people who didn't know where to turn,” said Nicole, who started her job as a crisis line operator just as the pandemic swept the country.

“That was…really scary,” she said, of beginning her job in such an uncertain time. “They were calling for answers, and how am I going to tell you where to find toilet paper when I don't know where to find toilet paper? So, you know, we don't necessarily have those answers, but we can be there to provide that emotional support."

Nicole works at the Solari Crisis and Human Services center in Phoenix. She and her team get 25,000 calls every month.

During the pandemic, more first-time callers have asked for help than ever before.

“Anxiety and depression have increased pretty dramatically, and we have found out that most of our callers are unfortunately on the more acute side of things, needing more immediate kinds of supports," she said.

This is happening across the country. Before the pandemic, a survey done by the Kaiser Family Foundation found 1 in 10 adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression.

Now, nearly two years into this crisis, about 4 in 10 U.S. adults report symptoms of anxiety and depression.

A new report released by the Government Accountability Office found six key groups of people are at a higher risk for mental health trauma because of the pandemic.

The list includes minority groups, like Native Americans and African Americans who were hit harder by the virus, young children and young adults who have had school and social time disrupted, and health care workers.

In addition, the report found those facing financial stressors, those with pre-existing mental health conditions also faced a higher risk of developing anxiety and depression in the face of the pandemic.

Nicole has seen these statistics through her calls. One call from a young girl who was struggling with school sticks with Nicole to this day. The call came from an 8-year-old girl living on a Native American reservation.

“She had a plan and means an intent to complete suicide. She was 8. She'd never called us before. I would be surprised if she ever dialed any phone number all by herself before, but she had a broken mirror. And her plan was to cut her wrists and die that way," Nicole recalled.

But in time, Nicole made a breakthrough.

“We were able to build that trust to get mom on the line, which was our saving grace. That was definitely one of the youngest, more acute callers," she explained.

Every call like that one makes her push even harder to get those she connects with resources and safety plans to help long past they hang up the call.

And on each call, this first responder consistently reminds her callers of one thing: “Although these feelings are big and heavy and feel completely out of control, this isn't this isn't what forever is going to look like.”

She just hopes this time of uncertainty will encourage those struggling to reach for a lifeline waiting on the line.

“Hope is there, and help is real. And that's really important,” said Nicole.

If you’re struggling with your mental health, click HERE for resources.

If you'd like to call the hotline, it is staffed 24/7 365 days per year. The phone number is: 1-800-273-CARE (2273).

If you are in Arizona, you can call either Central Arizona at 1-800-631-1314 or Northern Arizona at 1-877-756-4090.

DETROIT, Mich. — Mental health care can be a major barrier stopping those experiencing homelessness from finding permanent housing.

A unique center in Detroit is making sure people can get healthy as they work towards having a place to call home. It’s a campus of housing and resources all located in one place meant to revitalize a struggling neighborhood and help the community grow with it.

“This is the east side of Detroit,” said Linda Little, CEO of the Neighborhood Service Organization behind the Detroit Healthy Housing Campus (DHHC). “It used to be a bustling neighborhood in its heyday. It has since become this neighborhood that has a lot of blight, but there's a lot of opportunity today.”

The $22 million center will provide resources for every step of a person’s journey in experiencing homelessness.

“This will be the first Healthy Housing Campus that we can find in our country,” said Little. “We're really excited to be here and be a part of the resurgence and renaissance of this community.”

The Detroit Healthy Housing Campus will take up nearly an entire city block. The goal: end homelessness in this community by offering a hospital, a shelter, a resource center, and permanent housing in one place.

Each stop on the campus will not only help people heal physically but mentally, too.

“Sixty to 80 percent of people who are homeless have some kind of mental health issue or a substance use disorder,” said Little. “We're like a safety net for vulnerable folks.”

The campus will hold an emergency shelter, but it will also have a medical respite space that will admit people physically well enough to go back on the streets more time to address their mental health in a safe place.

“Believe it or not, there was no place for the homeless to go upon discharge,” said Little. “If you're battling a mental health issue, it's difficult to think about things that may be most important for your physical health. And so that's why we want to, you know, provide that equity, meet people where they are.”

The campus also will hold a medical clinic, providing all kinds of medical services. Little said she is most excited for the mental health care services the clinic will provide. The clinic will be open to the entire community, not just those experiencing homelessness.

For those ready for the next step, the campus holds apartments for permanent housing.

Allah Young is now a resident in the Clay Apartments on the campus, but he was on the streets for three years. In that time, he slept in seven different shelters.

“I became involved in negative activity. You know, I had substance abuse issues,” said Young, a Detroit native. “I lost two houses in foreclosure because of my substance abuse and different issues. That’s what got me to the shelters.”

He struggled to get clean, quitting three separate times.

Now, he said he is grateful every day to have a shelter of his own.

“I always had a good attitude. I always believed that I was here for a reason,” said Young. “Every day right now, my resolve to live well.”

He said when he finally got help from the Neighborhood Service Organization for his mental health, that’s when he got clean for good.

“I was able to understand my deficiencies. I started doing the things that I was raised to do,” he said.

Young said he is hopeful this campus will give others that same resolve.

“The same way it has helped me, you know this Detroit Healthy Housing is going to help a lot of other people as well,” said Young.

Little said people have come from 10 states to get help from the Neighborhood Service Organization because no other states are doing anything like this yet.

“We had people as far as California come through Detroit,” she said.

She said this campus can provide an example of a different path for those struggling.

“Those who are in emergency shelter can see people who are housed right across the parking lot. That will give them hope. They can see it is possible. You can move from the streets and your current situation and live a better life," Little said.

One day, she hopes this solution can permanently get people off the streets across the country.

“Mental health is something that affects us all, and if we can reduce that stigma around mental health and make it a normal part of health care, then we can really effectuate change,” said Little.

If you’d like to learn more about the Neighborhood Service Organization and the Detroit Healthy Housing Campus, click HERE.

The pandemic is taking its toll on kids in more ways than one. Doctors are calling mental health in our children a second pandemic. Sister station KOAT spoke to a pediatrician about the strain COVID-19 has put on our children.

Dr. Alex Cvijanovich is the president of the New Mexico Pediatric Society. She said mental health has been declared an emergency.

After months of home lockdown and isolation protocols because of COVID-19. Cvijanovich said our children face a mental health crisis, and it's something parents should take very seriously.

"I think it was here before COVID-19, but it has really exploded during the COVID pandemic. Take your child's concerns seriously and trust your instincts," she said.

So how can you tell if your child is struggling with mental health? Cvijanovich said the first signs are changes in eating habits, your child isolating themselves more than usual, sleeping through the days or not enjoying activities they usually love.

Cvijanovich said she sees these symptoms every day, and if you see them in your child, it's essential to act fast. If you can catch it early, you'll minimize the impact.

"Try to talk to your child if your child is willing. If the child or teenager has had a counselor or a therapist, a psychologist before, get back in touch," Cvijanovich said. "We need to be extremely careful. We are seeing much higher rates of attempted suicides and suicides. Parents, Grandparents, and caregivers know the kids in their house the best. And if they are concerned about their child's mental health, act on it."

The doctor adds that putting the suicide hotline number somewhere in your house or in your child's phone is the best way to keep them safe when you're not around. That number is 1-800-273-8255.

Watch the video above for the full story.

OWENTON, Ky. — Jason Merrick has been sober since April 16, 2009, but like many people in recovery, he faces challenges during the holiday season.

“I’m grateful,” Merrick said. “Extremely grateful and cautious, because this is a very stressful time of year.”

Merrick is the senior director for outpatient services at Addiction Recovery Care. The agency just announced an expansion at ARC Eagle Creek, its women’s residential treatment center in Owenton, Kentucky. The center will offer 100 beds for inpatient, residential treatment for substance use disorder after opening with 16 beds earlier this year.

“ARC is very proud to be part of the movement that works to address the community needs where they’re needed,” Merrick said.

Many rural communities in Kentucky lack health care resources. According to ARC, the closest similar facility to ARC Eagle Creek in Owenton is a 30-minute drive away.

“ARC has been very purposeful in addressing the need that our rural communities face, which is a scarcity of resources when it comes to mental health and substance use disorder treatments,” Merrick said.

This intentional approach to try and locate underserved rural areas is also a priority for BrightView Health, a substance use disorder treatment provider with locations in Ohio, Kentucky, Delaware and Virginia.

“One of the things they do is intentionally look for rural areas that maybe have not as many treatment options,” said Kelli Achberger, lead peer recovery supporter at BrightView Health’s Colerain office. “A lot of these communities have been the hardest hit with opioid use disorder.”

In addition to expanding the number of beds available for residential treatment, ARC Eagle Creek is also planning to add jobs. It expects to have 50 full-time employees when fully staffed.

The Owenton location offers detoxification, stabilization, residential treatment services, outpatient services and career opportunities for women looking to start their recovery journey. It has licensed counselors, state-certified peer support specialists and state-certified case managers to help clients with substance use disorders.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, here are some resources:

• ARC’s 24/7 addiction help hotline can be reached at (606) 638-0938.
• BrightView Health’s call center is available at 1-833-510-HELP (4357).
• SAMHSA’s National Helpline is 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

RELATED: 14-year-old's award-winning device helps treat mental health issues with music
RELATED: Covington cat cafe helps visitors combat mental burdens through furry friends

With the holidays approaching, experts explained how to cope with grief.

The holidays are a time for family and fun. However, for those this season who have lost a loved one, the holidays can be hard.

"Everyone grieves differently. Every individual, every person, every family has a different process for how they recognize the loss of a loved one," said Mark Davis, the chief program officer at the Mental Health Association in Oklahoma City.

Family celebrations are meant to be joyous, but when you’re dealing with the loss of a loved one, that joy can be taken away.

"That definitely can have an impact on someone's mood and emotional state during such a special time of the year," Davis said.

Davis says that it’s best to surround yourself with people you love.

"I think there is kind of a natural inclination for us to withdraw in the memories, to spend time in the memories of the person we lost. But my recommendation as a clinician is for individuals to try to celebrate the great moments and memories they had with that individual," he said.

Davis also said that it is OK to change things up this year.

"Be OK with not conforming to the norms of what people perceive the holidays to be. Make your own traditions. Change a tradition. Don't set yourself up with unrealistic expectations," Davis said.

MAYFIELD, Ky. —

Kentucky towns devastated during a rare December tornado outbreak will take months or longer to rebuild. Recovering from the emotional trauma could take even longer.

Experts say it is important for tornado victims to be vulnerable and open to talking about the trauma they experienced.

"There's no rulebook of how to manage a natural disaster," said Tara Immele, a clinical social worker with Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services. "The first and foremost, you need a roof over your head and everyone acknowledges that. But the challenge is going back to address the emotional components there."

Immele said PTSD is common in people who experience a traumatizing natural disaster like a tornado.

"A lot of times it's a delayed response: a week, a month, six months later. You see a lot of folks enrolled in just basic counseling still addressing and responding to some of their negative experiences," she said. "Some people may withdrawal or act out, especially kiddos. But the thing is to make it a part of conversation, not force it but at the same time, don't make the tornado taboo."

The American Red Cross utilizes licensed therapists to meet survivors' emotional needs in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

A spokeswoman said the teams "identify individuals who need additional support, provide short-term disaster mental health interventions and refer individuals to local resources as necessary, in order to supplement local community resources and strengthen community resilience."

Tim Andreasen and his family are a handful of the tornado survivors in Mayfield who recognize they will need some kind of professional help to rebuild their minds and overcome the trauma of the storm.

"I'm taking it day by day right now. It's not fully hit me yet. It will hit me when I'm alone by myself," Andreasen said last week.

His 7-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter were both home when the tornado ripped their home apart.

"They keep hearing glass break every time they go to sleep," he said. "I keep telling him he needs to talk and get it out before it eats him up. I haven't even talked to nobody yet."

Several states have already started loosening their stay-at-home restrictions, and by the end of next week, more than half of the country will start to reopen.

"This is a global pandemic. Things are going to be different as we move back out of quarantine and into society," said Children's Hospital Colorado psychologist Laura Anthony.

These past few weeks have been hard on most Americans. As we start thinking about what the future might look like, Anthony says we could be seeing some changes in our children’s behavior.

"Most of us parents are seeing signs of stress or sadness or grief or frustration, disappointment in our kids, and we need to really be OK with letting them feel those things, just like we need to be okay with ourselves feeling those things," said Anthony.

Anthony says it’s important to share our feelings with our children. It's best to explain to them what the next few weeks might hold like having to wear masks, staying 6 feet apart, and whatever other recommendations the CDC makes.

"Our kids are going to feel more in control when they know what they can do as they’re kind of coming back out into society,” said Anthony. “It’s good for the rest of us, too. And it’s OK to say the reasons why we need to do those things.”

She also says it’s important to try to lessen the stress we put on ourselves as parents working from home and helping with school work.

"We’re all just doing the best we can, and I think parents should not feel guilty, offer themselves a little bit of kindness, and a little bit of grace,” she said. “You’re not in this alone.We’re all struggling, and all you can do is the best you can. That’s all any of us can do is the best we can.”

It is important to pay attention if your child feels overwhelmed to the point where they can’t function. That’s when you need to seek help from a professional.

Ireland King and mom Michelle know the effect of the pandemic on mental health.

"I didn't want to leave my room," said Ireland King. "I didn't even feel like eating. My family felt like I didn't like them because I was so rude all the time."

"She basically came out and said she didn't wanna be here anymore," said Michelle King. "More than once."

The Indiana family is by no means alone.

"We describe it as a mental health tsunami going on," said Dr. Thomas Plante, licensed psychologist and psychology professor at Santa Clara University.

That tsunami has millions of Americans grasping for relief. Medication and therapy might be the medical solution, but that’s not always the answer.

"Some people act different to medications, it doesn't always work for people," said Heidi Strunk, president & CEO of Mental Health America of California.  

"A lot of times medication is trial and error."

Stigma, lack of equity and access and a mental health worker shortage are all challenges for people seeking help.

Experts say for the individual, there are some low-cost options.

A quick app store search shows dozens of apps, some focused on checking in with yourself, others can link you to a therapist.

Other ideas: 

• Jotting down what makes you happy 
• Getting movement or exercise 
• Journaling 
• Finding an outlet like music, video games, or art 
• Joining online or in-person support groups

"When you identify that, do it. There's power in doing what makes us happy," said Strunk. "These are things that people need to do, of course, before we get into crisis, but being proactive."

It's not just up to the individual.

"Lots of times it's really hard for people to do anything individually because they're paralyzed by the anxiety or the fear of the depression or whatever," said psychologist Dr. Thomas Plante. "And it's hard for them to really be proactive in helping themselves."

Plante says employers, bosses, family, and friends can start with a simple, "I get that."

"We need to journey with people in solidarity. You know, we need to be with them and we say, you're anxious. I get that. I get anxious, you're depressed, I get depressed," said Dr. Plante. "You know, you're feeling suicidal. I don't blame you, you know, but you know, the world is a mess."

And beyond that, people can follow up.

Another option: a warm line.

Warm lines aren’t crisis hotlines, but a tool for people before they’re in dire straits. There are more than 100 in the U.S. The majority are staffed by people like Bettye Foster, who have firsthand experience.

BETTYE FOSTER: We're all primary caregivers of someone with a mental health challenge.

LINDSEY THEIS: So even yourself?

FOSTER: Even myself. So I have a family member that I was the primary caregiver for. And some of our advocates are still that primary caregiver for someone.

It’s not a call for help, but it is a call to help. Because, as Bettye puts it:

"You see someone on the street and you're like, yeah, you don't know what's going on with that person," said Foster. "And you also don't know what's going on with the person who looks good, who looks well. You know, for that, you may think they've got it all together. You don't know, because mental illness doesn't have that kind of face."

Meanwhile, the Kings search for more help for Ireland. She’s lived through the COVID health crisis, and is now among the millions hit by the mental health crisis.

"There needs to be something. Something needs to change," said Ireland King.

"I’m not willing to let her slip through the cracks, and no other family should either," said Michelle King.

This story was originally reported by Lindsey Theis on Newsy.com.