Alexandria, VA (December 13, 1999) "The Surgeon General puts mental health where it belongs: as a cornerstone of public health," said Michael Faenza, President and CEO of the National Mental Health Association (NMHA). "This historic report makes clear that mental health is integral to individuals' and the nation's health and should not be relegated to the sidelines of healthcare and public policy."

"Unfortunately, the report will not be worth the paper it is printed on if its messages are not put into practice," Faenza said. "Every day in America, important decisions are made based on stigma, stereotype and myth. Managed care companies deny needed mental health care for individuals. The Colorado School Board links psychotropic medications to violence in schools. Politicians and reporters allege a presidential candidate is unstable. We need to get to a place in America where people see mental health as a continuum, a part of being human, and recognize that it is as important to treat mental health problems as it is physical health problems."

"The Surgeon General points out the extraordinary advances in treatments that have occurred in recent years. They don't mean a hill of beans if people don't have access to them," Faenza said. "We need to make good use of research advances by integrating them into public policies. Millions of children and adults don't get the care they need. I hope this report is the beginning of a real revolution, turning this terrible track record around."

The first-ever report from a U.S. Surgeon General on mental health clearly states that mental illnesses are real, common and treatable. Conversely, our nation's failure to address mental illness as a public health issue results in a host of social ills, including unnecessary homelessness, incarcerations, drug abuse, loss of productivity at school and work, and even suicide.

NMHA was founded on such public health principles in 1909 by Clifford Beers, who wrote the groundbreaking book A Mind That Found Itself during his recovery from bipolar disorder. Like the Surgeon General, Beers emphasized research into cures, prevention and the importance of paying attention to mental health from birth through old age-values that carry NMHA to this day.

"I hope the Surgeon General's mental health report goes a long way toward reducing the ignorance and stigma that allow policymakers to discriminate and keep people from the care they need," Faenza said.

The facts are:

• Nineteen million Americans have clinical depression, but fewer than one-third get any treatment. In response, NMHA's Campaign on Clinical Depression educates individuals about the signs and symptoms of depression, most recently through a free, confidential screening test online at http://www.depression-screening.org/
• Up to half of all visits to primary care physicians are due to conditions caused or exacerbated by mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety disorders, yet primary care physicians are not adept at diagnosing and treating such disorders. So NMHA created a new Primary Care Initiative.
• One in five children has a diagnosable emotional disorder and one in ten has a serious disorder, but less than one-third get appropriate care. Untreated childhood disorders may result in teenage substance abuse, school failure, involvement in the juvenile justice system, and even suicide. In response, NMHA founded Childhood Depression Awareness Day and the Justice for Juveniles Initiative.
• Up to half of people who are homeless have a severe mental illness that is untreated, in part because the United States has not constructed the nationwide network of community-based care that was envisioned in the era of deinstitutionalization. In response, NMHA is working to replicate model treatment programs in communities across the nation.
• Most states have turned their Medicaid programs over to managed care companies. Because Medicaid serves many people with severe mental illnesses and managed care companies routinely limit services for people with mental illness, NMHA created a State Healthcare Reform Advocacy team to help local advocates and consumers better advocate for improved funding and services.
• Fewer than half the states have adopted legislation requiring some type of parity between mental health and physical health services in private health plans. Because many of these laws are quite limited and most states have not adopted broad-based parity, NMHA advocates for full parity in the states and on Capitol Hill.

With 340 affiliates, NMHA is a nationwide network of mental health advocates and consumers working hand-in-hand to improve public understanding and services.

NMHA's communications department can help reporters line up interviews with advocates, experts and individuals who have experienced mental disorders and their treatments. For more information, call Patrick Cody at (703) 838-7528 or Lea Ann Browning-McNee at (703) 837-4783.