Thursday, June 6, 2013

President Obama calls for the end to Mental Illness Stigma

President Obama on Monday called for a more robust national discussion on mental illness, saying the time had come to bring the issue "out of the shadows." 
Speaking at the opening session of a White House conference on mental health, the president said his goal was to let people affected by these issues know they should not suffer in silence. 
"Struggling with a mental illness or caring for someone who does can be isolating," Obama said. "It begins to feel as if, not only are you alone, but that you shouldn't burden others with the challenge."
The conference is part of Obama's response to last year's shooting massacre at a Connecticut elementary school. While the president emphasized that most people with mental health problems are not violent, he said untreated mental illness can lead to larger tragedies. 
There's been little publicly revealed about the mental health of Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza, although it's been documented that other gunmen involved in mass shootings suffered from mental illness. Federal law bans certain mentally ill people from purchasing firearms, but the background check system is woefully incomplete and Obama is trying to get more mental health records included. 
"We can do something about stories like this," he said. "In many cases, treatment is available and effective."
Top administration officials, along with actors Bradley Cooper and Glenn Close, were among those participating in the White House conference. 
The agenda includes discussion of insurance coverage for mental health care and substance abuse, recognizing the signs of mental illness in young people and improved access to services for veterans. The overall goal is reducing the stigma of mental health problems and encouraging those who are struggling to get help. 
Vice President Joe Biden, the president's point man on gun violence, is scheduled to close it from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Around 150 invited attendees include mental health advocates and patients, educators, health care providers, faith leaders, lawmakers and local government officials from across the country.
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9 comments:

BOSMAN said...

It's Obvious that Joe Biden must of been his inspiration.

Anonymous said...

Yes! ha ha. Pathological lying is a characteristic of many different types of psychopathy, so lets start in Washington.

-Martha

Anonymous said...

Seriously, though, I think we need to stop hiding the fact that nearly all of the mass killings are done by people taking one kind of mental health drug, or another. The black box warnings are there for a reason.

-Martha

Anonymous said...

I have cousin who was mid-twenties with 2 little girls who starting taking anti-depressants, and two weeks later, she parked on a train track at 1:00am and waited for the train to kill her.

-Martha

RomneyMan said...

Yes, good idea.
But then of course, we can't have OB- or his admin having any good ideas now can't we...again, of course, it's politics that matter hey, not silly ideas like thinking about the people.

Anonymous said...

@RomneyMan, you mean terrorist Obama and his brother Malik thinking it was a good idea to start "The Barrack H. Obama Foundation," and request tax exemption and then receive it in 30 days, that wasn't a good enough idea for you? Was it a good idea for their associate, former President of Sudan, to kill 3 million Christians? Isn't that a good enough idea for you? You want more ideas from them?

BOSMAN said...

RM,

"we can't have OB- or his admin having any good ideas now can't we"

We you FIND ONE...let us know.

RomneyMan said...

OKay:

"President Obama calls for the end to Mental Illness Stigma"

BOSMAN said...

RM,

"President Obama calls for the end to Mental Illness Stigma"

Well...now you have to ask yourself in light of his team, cabinet, advisors, and latest appointments, did he do it out of personal conviction or to take the heat off of those that I've just mentioned?