If a friend or a co-worker takes us aside and confides that he has been diagnosed with cancer, we give him a shoulder to lean on. We ask what we can do. But most of all, we care. We understand.
But if that same individual tells us he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia or depression or bipolar disorder, we are quiet. We shy away. We don’t know what to say, what to do. We don’t understand.
Both are illnesses — one of the body, the others of the brain. But the ways we react to them are vastly different.
That must change, and that’s why my House colleagues and I introduced the Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act.
We must do more to improve access to home- and community-based services for individuals who have a mental illness and increase early identification and prevention services.
Our bill will create a national strategy for mental health to strengthen the mental health system and set the goals and policies for the future of mental health services in America.Photo: Rep. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.), Sponsor of the Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act.
Creating a National Strategy for Mental Health
Last edited {1}
Attachments
Images (1)
Comments (0)