Part 3 – Prevalence of Suicide in Montana – Lack of Mental Health Providers and Treatment Facilities

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults in our state (Montana), second only to motor vehicle accidents. 

 A third reason listed by State of Montana Suicide Prevention Plan at http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf is:

Lack of mental health providers and treatment facilities

• There is a shortage of inpatient mental health treatment facilities. The availability of this vital resource is diminishing with the closure of inpatient psychiatric beds.

• There is a severe lack of appropriate comprehensive outpatient services.

• There is insufficient integration of traditional and culturally specific interventions

• Montana has a severe shortage of psychiatrists, especially child and adolescent psychiatrists

• There is a lack of physicians capable of providing appropriate psychiatric medication treatments

• There is a lack of post intervention services

This is the third of 4 posts.  To see the other’s please visit the archives.