Copyright 2000 The Atlanta Constitution
The Atlanta
Journal and Constitution
March 16, 2000, Thursday, Final Edition
SECTION: Editorial; Pg. 23A
LENGTH: 310 words
HEADLINE: In
My Opinion: Insure mental health treatment
BYLINE: JANE
MARSTON, For the Journal-Constitution
SOURCE: JOURNAL
BODY:
As one who has benefited from both
psychotherapy and drug therapy for anxiety, I have become an advocate for
consumers of mental health services. In particular, I believe
insurers should offer more coverage for outpatient therapy.
Public interest and media coverage of mental health issues have
improved our understanding of mental illness. It is generally
accepted that depression and schizophrenia, for example, arise from imbalances
in brain chemistry. These imbal-
ances can be treated with drugs prescribed
by any physician or psychiatrist.
But insurers still restrict
mental health coverage, limiting or even denying any
coverage for outpatient care. Psychologists and counselors bear
the brunt of these restrictions, even though rage-based behavior, suicide and
stress, among others, are public health issues that can be addressed through "
talk" therapies not involving drugs.
What is the rationale for refusing
coverage for psychological services? In an era of managed care, one supposes it
is mainly economic: An occasional office visit to a family doctor costs less
than a weekly visit to a psychotherapist.
This rationale is
unacceptable. If I am treated for anxiety by a cardiologist, I am being treated
for a condition of the body. If I am treated for anxiety by a psychotherapist, I
am being treated for a condition of the mind. But it is the same anxiety, and it
might take both practitioners to address the full range of symptoms.
I
urge that, as public policy begins to take a sympathetic stance toward mental
illness, therapists who are not doctors be included in the transition. In our
enthusiasm to respect the brain, we don't want to lose the mind.
JANE
MARSTON, Athens
Submissions to this readers' column should run 300-350
words and include a recent photo of yourself, brief biography and a daytime
phone number.
GRAPHIC: Photo
Jane Marston, a
retired UGA professor, has lived in Athens for 16 years. She holds bachelor's
and master's degrees from East Carolina University and a doctorate from
Vanderbilt University.
LOAD-DATE: March 16, 2000
