Dr. James Yon enjoys helping children and families deal with their mental health problems. Originally, he thought that he was going to become a pediatrician. “However, during my training I realized there is a huge need for pediatric psychiatrists and I decided I wanted to help families deal with these challenging mental health issues. One of my goals was that I wanted families to understand each other and care for each other better. Plus know that there is no blame and no shame in what they are going through. Today, we have a lot of effective treatments to help people with their mental health.”

In his practice Dr. Yon works closely with Reliant pediatricians and Family Practice physicians to diagnose and treat ADHD symptoms, autism spectrum disorder, depression and anxiety, substance use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and many other problems. “At Reliant, we are dedicated to having better screening and treatment of mental health challenges,” he explains. “That’s why I and my team see patients right in the primary care offices. We want to be as responsive as possible when it comes to these problems, and having mental health integrated into primary care helps bridge that gap.”

According to Dr. Yon, the whole landscape in which children have grown up has changed. “For instance, social medial didn’t exist a generation ago and that has really been a big change. Young people these days are constantly connected to peers and the outside world 24/7. I try not to make judgements on whether social media and the Internet is good or bad…it is just the way society is now and everyone has to deal with it. So I try to teach families to use it in a way that is positive.”

Dr. Yon believes that mental health problems are in many ways like chronic illnesses. “Just like when you have high blood pressure, if you neglect getting it treated you are going to have bigger problems down the road. We know that if we can intervene on mental health issues when patients are young, we have a lot better chance of getting people healthy. That’s why making sure families have an opportunity to treat these problems is so important.”

When he is not busy with his patients, Dr. Yon enjoys spending time with his family, he truly enjoys being a father. He also enjoys yoga and playing tennis.