In my advocacy, when I speak with state legislators and Congressional leaders about the mental health system and they immediately tell me about NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and MHA (Mental Health America), I cringe. For politicians who are serious about helping those ... who are clearly too sick to help themselves, please get educated. A great place to begin is with the Treatment Advocacy Center.
To be clear, nobody is opposed to better mental health care and all of the great programs/resources available .... (My) frustration is with the lack of programs/resources for those suffering with chronic untreated or under-treated serious mental illness.
Mental health and ... mental illness are not the same thing. Everyone’s mental health can be approved, but about 4 percent of Americans suffer with diagnosable, serious mental illnesses (such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression). No one can benefit from better mental health services unless they have the capacity to participate.
Like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, serious mental illness often takes capacity away through rendering the person unable to know they are sick. Unlike (them), serious mental illnesses are highly treatable and manageable with medication when a person is able to access treatment and care.
Janet Hays advocates for people living with serious mental illness and focuses on helping her clients and their families to identify the illness, then get long-term care in unsecured environments without being criminalized. She is the founder of Healing Minds NOLA.
(This Letter has been edited for clarity.)
