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| The National Conference on Mental Health
Nationally, an estimated 45 million Americans suffer from illnesses like depression, schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress syndrome. Today, the White House hosted a day-long conference to kick off a national conversation about mental health in the United States. President Obama stressed the importance of a more open dialogue on mental health issues:
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Obama calls for national conversation about mental health
President Obama pressed Monday for a more-open dialogue on mental illness, which has been a focus of his administration since a string of mass shootings last year sparked discussions on bolstering the nation’s mental health services.
In remarks at the White House, Obama noted that most mentally ill people are not violent and that many violent people have no diagnosable mental problem. But mentally ill people are more likely to commit suicide, he said, and “when a condition goes untreated, it can lead to tragedy on a larger scale.”
Lamenting the stigma associated with mental illness, he said, “Too many Americans who struggle with mental health illnesses are still suffering in silence, rather than seeking help. And we need to see [to] it that men and women who would never hesitate to go see a doctor if they had a broken arm or came down with the flu, that they have that same attitude when it comes to their mental health.”
The event occurred more than a month after the failure of one of Obama’s legislative priorities, a bill that would have imposed new gun-control measures in the aftermath of the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
An amendment to the bill that had broad bipartisan support would have provided grants to teach “mental health first aid” to emergency workers, teachers and others who might interact with someone struggling with mental illness. Advocates are hopeful the measure will be reintroduced in Congress later this year.
Obama’s remarks came at the White House-sponsored National Conference on Mental Health, which brought together advocates, elected officials, faith leaders and others to discuss ways to reduce the stigma of mental illness, which the president said is a barrier to those needing help.
The conference was also a way for the administration to highlight steps it has taken to bolster mental health services. Those actions include a provision in the 2010 Affordable Care Act requiring health insurers to cover mental health services as an essential benefit, and a White House initiative aimed at mapping the human brain.
The administration also has reached out to nonprofit and business groups, which unveiled several new projects in conjunction with the conference. Among them are a new wave of youth-oriented public service announcements to air on MTV; a media campaign targeting veterans; and an effort to disseminate information about mental health services on Internet message boards frequented by video gamers.
Advocates say the president’s attention to the issue has been a boon.
“To the extent there is now a public discussion on mental health, that is a positive,” said Chuck Ingoglia, a senior vice president at the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.
In his remarks, Obama singled out young people and veterans as groups particularly in need of attention on the issue of mental health. But he described it as a broader problem because one in five Americans suffers from mental illness, touching virtually everyone in one way or another.
He said that many physical disorders get attention on television, “some of them very personal,” pausing for effect as the audience laughed at the allusion to ubiquitous erectile dysfunction ads. “And yet, we whisper about mental health issues and avoid asking too many questions,” he said. “The brain’s a body part, too. We just know less about it.”
Also appearing at the conference were Vice President Biden, who has been deeply involved in White House efforts on mental health; actress Glenn Close, who has a sister with bipolar disorder and a nephew with another mental illness, and has started a mental health nonprofit group; and former senator Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.), whose son committed suicide.
Vice President Biden Speaks at the National Conference on Mental Health :
Glenn Close was at the White House today to take part in a panel as part of the National Conference on Mental Health.
The panel focused on how addressing negative attitudes about mental illness is essential to making sure more people seek help; what we know about why these attitudes exist and the misperceptions they are grounded in; and what we can do to break down the barriers preventing too many people from seeking the help they need.
Also in attendance was Bradley Cooper.
During the conference, President Obama applauded the dozens of commitments made by organizations representing media, educators, health care providers, faith communities, and foundations to increase understanding and awareness of mental health.
The Obama Administration has taken a number of steps to raise awareness and improve care for Americans experiencing mental health issues, including expanding mental health coverage for millions of Americans through the Affordable Care Act, improving access to mental health services for veterans and supporting initiatives to help educators recognize and refer students who show signs of mental illness.
The National Conference on Mental Health is designed to increase understanding and awareness of mental health. As part of this effort, today the Administration is launching mentalhealth.gov, a new, consumer-friendly website with clear and concise tools to help with the basics of mental health, the signs of mental illness, how to talk about mental health, and how to get help. The website also includes a series of videos featuring celebrities and ordinary Americans whose lives have been touched by mental illness.
Among the stars who have recorded messages for the new website are Demi Lovato, Cher and Glenn Close.
In 2009 Glenn Co-Founded Bring Change 2 Mind, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. The idea for this movement evolved out of Ms. Close’s first-hand observation of battles with mental illness within her family. Ms. Close’s sister, Jessie, is living with bipolar disorder and Jessie’s son, Calen, is living with schizoaffective disorder. Bring Change 2 Mind produces science based Public Service Announcements aimed at tackling the stigma and discrimination of mental illness where they live – in all of us.
Several commitments were made as part of the conference, including launching new efforts to raise public awareness through television, radio, social media campaigns, and other platforms.
Commitments include:
• The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), representing local television and radio stations and broadcast networks throughout the country, is creating a national public service campaign to reduce the stigma around mental illness. The multiplatform campaign, launching this summer, will include TV and radio ads, online ads and resources and a robust social media platform to raise awareness – specifically among 13-24 year olds, their friends and caregivers – that it’s okay to talk about mental health and help is available.
• Blue Star Families, a non-profit organization created by military families to strengthen military families and connect America to her military, is producing a second series of public service announcements entitled “This Country Cares,” featuring country music stars telling our military heroes with mental health problems that they are not alone and encouraging them to seek help if they are struggling with these issues.
• As part of their Love is Louder campaign, MTV and The Jed Foundation will promote help seeking and challenge the stigma surrounding mental health by encouraging members of MTV’s audience to take any action that supports their or a friend’s emotional health, and then share that action with @LoveisLouder. MTV will amplify the best responses through several of its social media channels, which in total reach nearly 160 million fans and followers.
• The Entertainment Software Association and leading video game companies Activision Blizzard, Inc., Activision Publishing, Inc., Bethesda Softworks, Blizzard Entertainment Inc., and Microsoft Corporation will promote consumer resources for mental health and wellness information through their consumer web sites and online communities, which reach tens of millions of people every month.
• Other organizations committing to help raise awareness through television, film, and social media include the Entertainment Industries Council, Facebook, Google, SchoolTube, and Twitter
Glenn Close:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Close
