Advocates back bill granting unaccompanied minors emergency mental health treatment

Mental health advocates back a bill that would allow unaccompanied youth access to emergency outpatient mental health treatment without parental consent.

The proposal would grant a one-time, 30-day window in which the requirement for informed consent of a parent or guardian would be waived. The bill would apply to outpatient treatment, not inpatient treatment or prescription medication.

Bill author Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, R-Clinton, said it would help homeless and runaway children who have suffered physical and emotional abuse or been forced into unwanted sexual activity.

“These youth are unable to access mental health services in a timely fashion,” she told lawmakers at a public hearing Tuesday before the Assembly Committee on Mental Health.

Wisconsin Psychiatric Association President Dr. Justin Schoen supports the proposal. He said it would allow professionals to start treating the symptoms of child with mental illness whose parents may be absent or unreachable in a time of crisis.

“The sooner we can get that child access to care, any sort of mental healthcare that targets the trauma, will result in a better outcome,” Schoen said.

The committee is set to vote on the proposal Feb. 13.

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