Maryland Department of Health Develops Mental Health Resources for Youth and Others Facing Violence

By Paul J. Prim Last updated Aug 17, 2022

July 6, 2022

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Deidre McCabe, Director, Office of Communications, 410-767-3536

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Maryland Department of Health Develops Mental Health Resources for Youth and Others Facing Violence

Baltimore, MD – The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) released this week mental health and crisis resources to deal with violence.

Developed by the MDH Behavioral Health Administration (BHA), this comprehensive resource includes tips, local and national information, and fact sheets (in English and Spanish) for parents, educators, and behavioral health professionals to help young people.

“Interagency collaboration is key to our success in providing resources to Marylanders in crisis,” said MDH Acting Assistant Secretary for Behavioral Health Dr. Lisa Burgess. “Additionally, utilizing a coordinated framework to effectively support crisis services in Maryland is critical to meeting these needs for our residents.”

According to BHA’s Child, Adolescent & Young Adult Services division, tips for dealing with abuse include:

Avoid overexposure to news and social media. This is especially important for young people.
Stay aware of your emotional health and how it is affected by the news you consume, as well as the emotional health of those around you.
Meet your personal care needs: take walks, listen to music, meditate, exercise. Try to keep a regular routine as much as possible. Get enough sleep and eat.
Maintain constant contact with your support systems, such as friends and family.
Try to recognize when you might need extra support. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or offer help to someone who may also be struggling emotionally.
Check the young people in your life. Help them talk about their feelings about the situation to help ease their fears.
Seek professional advice or therapy for yourself and loved ones as needed.

BHA sharing Mental health and crisis resources for dealing with violence with behavioral health responders and providers across Maryland as well as school partners and other state agencies.

BHA has worked with the Maryland Department of Human Services, Maryland State Department of Education, Department of Juvenile Services, and Department of Disabilities in several areas including mobile response and stabilization services, a specific crisis service model to young people that MDH previously announced grows across Maryland.

Thanks to this work, programs that used to operate independently now operate collaboratively. In addition, information and training sessions are more consistent to meet the challenges.

For more information about crisis services in Maryland, see the summary for Mobile intervention and stabilization services for children, youth, young adults and families.

Access Mental health and crisis resources for dealing with violence.

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The Maryland Department of Health is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and safety of all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management, and community engagement.