>> tyler wrightington: only once, and that was at school. and they...en i got admitted into the hospital, because i was actually considering hurting the people around me. and i was... i was like, "this ain't me. this is not what i want to do." >> pelley: tyler's dad, ernie wrightington, had called a psychiatrist that week, but couldn't get an appointment for three months. there's a national shortage of psychiatrists. why is there not another option for you? >> ernie wrightington: this has always been our only option. >> pelley: the emergency room. >> ernie wrightington: the emergency room, yeah. because the... we know that when we come here... they take the time to take care of him. they sit and watch him, make sure he's okay. >> pelley: but "okay" usually means "okay for the moment." typically, insurance companies pay for this care only as long as the patients are at "imminent risk" of harming themselves or others. >> geyser: some insurance companies will give us a couple of days, a few days before they ask us to call them back to get reauthorization f