Society takes aim at the many ills plaguing Joe and Jennifer in scatter-shot fashion. Many struggle with underlying depression and other psychiatric disorders, says Covenant House mental health coordinator Stacey Eckord. To receive treatment they must be drug-free. To get drug-free they need treatment. It's a Catch-22.
Studies show early intervention pays, but no one wants to put the money up front.
The help that is available focuses only on crisis situations, Eckord says. There's no long-term treatment. Managed care canned all that. I know kids who have been in the Harris County Psychiatric Center more than 40 times. It's a treadmill.