The largest cities in Wisconsin are Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay, but teens and young adults statewide may find themselves in need of mental health services. From anxiety and depression to alcohol abuse and eating disorders, mental health needs have nationally increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a research article in Frontiers in Pediatrics, adolescents with both Early Life Stressors (ELS) and without such documented stressors are experiencing worsening mental health due to the Covid-19 pandemic – but youth with ELS are experiencing greater difficulty in emotion regulation. The following are five of the best mental health treatment centers for teenagers and young adults in Wisconsin.
1) Wisconsin Psychiatric Institute and Clinics (Madison, WI)
WISPIC is a freestanding mental health clinic of the University of Wisconsin, and contains the Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic (CAOC). Offering outpatient mental health services to youth through age 18 and their families, the CAOC provides the following: individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, psychopharmacology, and educational programs. Besides treating anxiety, depression, Bipolar disorder, adjustment disorder and the full spectrum of mental health disorders affecting youth, the following specialty services are also available to meet the mental health needs of teens: 1) dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents, and 2) child and adolescent anxiety disorders program. Due to its affiliation with the University, clinical services may be provided by psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, licensed counselors, supervised psychiatric residents, or psychology interns.
Payment Options: Diverse types of health insurance are accepted (as well as self-pay).
2) Newport Academy (outpatient site in WI)
Specializing in the provision of mental health and substance abuse services to teens and young adults, Wisconsin-based outpatient services are offered by this mental health center in the city of Waukesha. Notably, Newport Academy has numerous nationwide residential and outpatient sites (inclusive of this outpatient site in Waukesha – which is located less than 20 miles from Milwaukee). The primary focus of Newport Academy is on psychological, behavioral, and/or substance abuse issues affecting teens and young adults. Their overall treatment approach includes (but is not limited to) the following:
- Individual and/or family therapy;
- Substance abuse recovery lifestyle;
- Music therapy;
- Nutrition;
- Equine-assisted therapy
The Waukesha outpatient program provides its clients with integrated, evidence-based care, while also helping them to build supportive peer communities in a comfortable and relaxing environment.
Payment Options: Diverse types of health insurance are accepted (as well as self-pay).
3) Bellin Health Psychiatric Center, Child and Adolescent Hospital Services (Green Bay, WI)
This psychiatric hospital owned by Bellin Health (a non-profit healthcare organization) provides adults and youth with inpatient mental health services when medically-indicated as necessary. While there is a special inpatient unit designed for youth aged 12 years and younger, a separate unit exists for adolescents (aged 13-17) to meet their unique needs. During their hospitalization, youth clients receive a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. In addition, ongoing therapies occur in individual and group settings. Family therapy is also routinely provided prior to the discharge plan being completed, and a post-discharge treatment plan is created with the patient and family.
Payment Options: Diverse types of private and public health insurance are accepted (as well as self-pay).
4) Regent Mental Health Group, S.C. (Madison, WI)
As a multidisciplinary, full-service outpatient mental health clinic, Regent Mental Health Group provides service to both adults and youth. Assessments and psychotherapy are not only offered to adults, but also to children and adolescents. This mental health center also provides the following: 1) psychological testing and diagnostic services, 2) neuropsychological testing, and 3) psychiatric evaluation and treatment including medication management. Some of the conditions treated include anxiety/phobias, depression, ADHD, learning and behavioral disorders, Tourette’s Syndrome, Autism, and eating disorders. Additionally, they offer assistance in the arena of parent-teen relationships, as well as anger management and grief counseling. Their staff consists of psychiatrists, a psychologist, licensed therapists, a physician assistant, and a nurse practitioner.
Payment Options: Diverse types of health insurance are accepted (as well as self-pay).
5) Human Development Center – Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), Adolescent Programs (Douglas County, WI and three counties in northern MN)
Serving the mostly-rural northern areas of Wisconsin (and Minnesota), the CCBHC serves both adults and teenagers. Its facility in Wisconsin’s Douglas County is located in Superior, WI (which has a population of around 26,000). While more services aimed at children and adolescents (as well as adults) are located in its other facilities, psychiatric services for children and teens are offered at its Douglas County site in Superior – which includes outpatient evaluation, treatment, and medication management for depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. This site’s Project Reach Out program is aimed at improving the network of support to run-away and at-risk youth (and their families) through confidential and voluntary crisis intervention referral services, inclusive of encouraging the resolution of inter-family problems through mediation and other services.
Payment Options: Diverse types of public and private health insurance are accepted (as well as self-pay).
Social Isolation and Mental Health Disorders in Youth – The Link
Between the ages of 10-24, youth and young adults typically have a heightened sensitivity and increased need for social stimuli and peer interaction. As noted in a medical research article in 2020 in the Lancet, studies have consistently shown the importance of peer acceptance and peer influence in adolescence. Likewise, social deprivation and isolation have unique effects on the brain and behavior in teenagers. This article also reports that the teen years are a period of heightened vulnerability to mental health problems, and that 75% of adults living with a mental health disorder first experienced symptoms before 24 years of age. In particular, chronic depressive symptoms lasting into adulthood (co-existing with diagnosed depression) can result from the following:
- Problems in general with forming peer relationships as an adolescent;
- A general experience of overall peer rejection as an adolescent;
- Profound and pervasive loneliness as an adolescent;
- Bullying (including cyber-bullying) as an adolescent
Obtaining mental health and/or substance abuse treatment for you as a teen or young adult as soon as possible – or your adolescent or young adult offspring – can prevent worsening of symptoms such as anxiety or depression that can lead to abuse (or increased abuse) of substances in an attempt to self-treat the symptoms of a mental health condition.
