Time to shift children’s mental health from crisis to prevention, Patrick Kennedy tells Floridians

South Florida Sun Sentinel | By Cindy Krischer Goodman | May 29, 2025

‘When it comes to mental health, we wait until you have stage 4 illness.’

Florida’s doctors report the state is experiencing a mental health catastrophe, with not enough beds for children in crisis to be admitted into a hospital.

With the projected bed gap growing, mental health advocates in the state turned their focus last week to prevention.

“There’s no prevention and there’s relatively no recovery,” former Congressman and mental health advocate Patrick J.Kennedy said at the South Florida Behavioral Health Conference in Fort Lauderdale. “All we have are acute episodic treatment in this country. We wait until you have a stage 4 illness. If you don’t start treating someone until it’s stage 4, it makes recovery a lot more difficult, just as it would be if it were cancer or any other illness.”

Kennedy personally fights alcohol addiction and has been in rehab multiple times over his 57 years. His first time was at 17. He implored the more than 800 South Florida mental health advocates and providers at the behavioral health conference to devise strategies to keep Florida youth from entering crises.

“When you don’t treat someone early and they grow up in a family where there’s violence, where there’s mental illness, where there’s addiction, where there are adverse childhood experiences … If you don’t address those early, you’re going to pay for it,” he said.

Florida is among the worst states in the country for mental health and substance use issues. Like the rest of the nation, the Sunshine State is experiencing a serious shortage of behavioral health providers. As many as 60% of children in Florida with mental health needs do not receive the necessary care, according to a Florida Behavioral Health Profile.

Kennedy believes social media, sports betting, pornography and commercialized marijuana will fuel  mental health conditions, especially in young people.

Patrick J. Kennedy speaks during the 10th annual South Florida Behavioral Health Conference at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale on May 21, 2025.

“All of these things are going to blow our kids’ dopamine to the ceiling. I shudder to think what I’m going to have to do to protect my kids from all the onslaught of addiction for profit,” he said.

In Florida, the majority of serious mental illnesses emerge between the ages of 14 and 24, according to a Florida Behavioral Health Profile.  “That’s also the time when it’s most difficult to obtain services,” said Randy Scheid, founder and CEO of RGS Partners Consulting, which assessed the behavioral health landscape in Florida. “It’s very unclear where to go, where to turn to for help.”

Scheid discovered that behavioral health professionals are reimbursed at lower rates than other medical professionals, which has exacerbated a shortage of providers. “This makes it difficult for individuals to find in-network care, afford copays, or receive necessary treatments,” he said.

At the conference, Scheid suggested creating an electronic directory of behavioral health resources. “It would be a way to easily figure out resources in certain areas,” he said.

Already there are programs in Florida schools focused on anti-bullying, problem solving, and conflict resolution. But even more are needed, said Maria Hernandez, chief program officer for United Way of Broward County. Hernandez said a focus on prevention means programs also need to be available in after-school programs and community centers. They need to teach children coping skills and how to talk to their parents about mental health issues, she said.

“Wherever the young people are, we need to show up and address their needs,” Hernandez said.

The behavioral health crisis in Florida extends beyond young people. It includes adults who engage in substance use and isolated seniors who suffer from depression. Conference workshops included discussions on suicide prevention, drug use prevention and peer support.

“It is all about looking at new ways of doing things to prevent a crisis,” said Kathleen Cannon, president/CEO of United Way of Broward County, which co-hosted the conference.

“Prevention really works, but it’s hard to measure. It takes years to see if there are fewer admissions into psychiatric beds or treatment centers,” Cannon said.

The focus on prevention at the conference included faith-based leaders who often are the front line for congregants suffering from behavioral health issues. “People come to a church leader and say, ‘My son is suicidal, or my spouse is using opioids.’ Those faith leaders want help,” Cannon said.

Cannon said policymakers and funders of mental health programs in Florida need to be educated on why to spend on prevention programs rather than treatment. “The funders were there and we showcased preventative programs, how they work and how prevention is cheaper in the long run.”

Cost has been a barrier to getting mental health services for many Floridians. More than one-third of practicing psychologists do not take insurance, according to the 2024 Practitioner Pulse Survey released by the American Psychological Association. Kennedy and Cannon said they are working to convince insurers of the long-term benefits of providing people access to care.

“The message,” she said, “is that prevention is powerful.”