Mental health

Report Puts Annual Cost of Untreated Mental Illness in Sarasota County Children at $86 Million

The study also found that only half of children between ages 8 and 15 with a mental health condition received mental health services.

By Staff March 28, 2019

Image: Shutterstock

A new report funded by the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and conducted by the University of South Florida estimates that one in five young people experience a "severe mental disorder" during their lifetime, and that untreated mental illness costs Sarasota County more than $86 million each year. The study focused on area residents 24 and younger and found that only half of children between ages 8 and 15 with a mental health condition received mental health services. The organizations behind the study call for creating a unified system of care, assessing young people for trauma, investing in prevention and more. View or download the complete report here.

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