One Family’s Journey

by Jessica Liria, M.S.,
Prevention and Education Manager

Bullying in middle school started Colin Pearson’s problems. A family move and isolation during the pandemic intensified his depression. And when his mother was diagnosed with cancer, it became too much for him to handle.

“I felt a lot of emotions I had never felt,” said Colin, who is now a freshman at Gulf Coast High School in Naples. “It was really difficult for me to understand what was going on.”

One year into the pandemic, Colin’s younger brother found him trying to hang himself and stopped the suicide attempt. Alarmingly, neither one told their parents. Days later, Colin completed a school assignment indicating that he wanted to die, and he was admitted to Collier County’s only children’s crisis unit at David Lawrence Centers for Behavioral Health (DLC).

This was just the beginning of the Pearson family’s journey. Colin’s story is one example of the mental health issues facing a surging number of youths nationwide, including Southwest Florida. Suicide is now the second-leadingcause of death for young people. Millions more have suicidal thoughts and attempts.

DLC is the county’s only comprehensive community behavioral health center. The 55 year old nonprofit has seen first-hand the number of children who struggle with anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges grow in recent years. Today, DLC is a recognized leader in addressing this crisis head-on.

Admissions to DLC’s children’s crisis unit, which provides immediate access to a safe place for anyone experiencing thoughts of self-harm or a mental health crisis, have increased steadily since 2013. At that time, it was only a four-bed unit, and DLC began advocating for more beds. In 2021, when the U.S. Surgeon General declared youth mental health a national emergency, admissions to the DLC children’s crisis unit had increased by 61% over the year prior.

During that time period, Colin was admitted five times for suicidal thoughts. One of those times, DLC’s recently expanded, now 15 bed children’s unit was full, so Colin had to go 130 miles away to Bradenton for emergency care.

The turning point for Colin—and his family—was the care they received through DLC’s family-centered intensive mentoring and treatment program, Community Action Team (CAT). After a year in the CAT program,Colin’s grades and communication improved, and hestabilized on his medications.

“I didn’t know he was thinking about suicide,” said Colin’s mother, Stephanie. “Once we were in treatment at DLC, we had a dedicated team, including a mentor and a therapist who came to the house. We also had a nurse, a doctor, and a case manager. He really opened up, and I learned just how bad his mental health was.”

Colin added that his therapist helped him understand what he was experiencing, and taught him coping skills like drawing, breathing, and how to have “safe-space talks” with his mom. “It felt better to get everything off my chest,” he said.

Ways to Get Involved

Whether you are a parent, grandparent, family member, neighbor, church member, coach, or teacher, here are a couple of actions you can take to support the young people around you:

Educate yourself—and get certified.

Each month, DLC offers evidence-based trainings that educate and certify attendees in:

• Youth Mental Health First Aid
• Suicide Prevention

For more information and to register for an upcoming training Visit DLCenters.org/Events

Support the expansion of DLC’s children’s programs and services by attending the DLC Sound Minds signature event featuring Brooke Shields on March 21, 2024.

Visit DLC SoundMinds.org for more details.

To learn about more ways to join DLC in addressing the youth mental health crisis in Collier, visit DLCenters.org or e-mail DLCEducates@DLCenters.org