“In the News” – Dr. Cummings and patient discuss youth mental illness warning signs with Local 12’s Liz Bonis.

 

Trevor Steinhauser’s struggle with mental illness began at an early age, but thanks to receiving early help and support for his symptoms, Trevor is feeling better and is now four years sober.

Trevor and Tracy Cummings, MD, Medical Director of Inpatient and Partial Hospital Program Services at Lindner Center of HOPE, spoke with Local 12’s Liz Bonis about mental illness warning signs to watch for in children, such as anxiety and panic attacks.

Trevor credits the Lindner Center of HOPE for helping him overcome his own issues with mental illness and substance abuse. By employing a team approach and giving him a voice in his own treatment, Trevor says the Center was the first to help him learn coping skills for lifelong problems, such as depression and anxiety.

According to Dr. Cummings, behaviors that lead to addiction often present in a person’s youth.

“The reality is that, in any given year, one in five of us are experiencing mental illness. About half of those cases started before age 14, so a lot of people have been having symptoms for a long time. They’ve just figured out ways to either adapt to those or not talk about those,” Dr. Cummings said.

Lindner Center of HOPE has a comprehensive program that treats both substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders. Learn more about our Intensive Outpatient program here.

 

 

Watch the full story from Trevor and Dr. Cummings’ sit down with Liz Bonis interview on local12.com