The Pros And Cons Of Occupational Therapy

“Less than 20% of children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need” (4). Science shows that getting mental health support at an early age can help a child before the problems interfere with their life and other developmental necessities. Children with severe mental disabilities often get the help they need because they cannot live without it. The government is more likely to give them the help they need to live on in their life. Children with minor mental health issues like ADD and Social Anxiety can generally live their lives with little support. It is the children with moderate mental disabilities like ADHD, severe Anxiety, and high functioning Autism that fall through the cracks. When these

Increased sensory sensitivities, super-interests, and a need for a schedule dominate his life. The need for Occupational Therapy brings him to the pool for around 6 hours a week alone. Fortunately, there are ways to help. Therapy, while time-consuming, is very beneficial. The medicine he takes also helps him. While therapy is helpful, it does have barriers that must be addressed.

II. Cost of Therapy There are many social barriers such as social stigma, limited awareness, and distrust (5). However, the ones that are easiest to solve are economic. Therapy is expensive. The cost varies between disabilities, region, and specific cases, so we should look at a specific example. Bipolar Disorder, for example, is a disability that greatly affects daily life. This is generally considered a moderate disability. People who are Bipolar experience extreme mood swings between highs and lows(6). People with Bipolar disorder require lifelong therapy, and this can be very expensive. The first year alone costs an average of “$19,000 in total treatment costs” (7). This is a high price even for families with multiple working parents. Plus, if both parents are working, a caretaker might need to be hired to take care of the child. Some may think that if a person has insurance this cost all goes away, however, this is