It’s well known that mental
health is a prerequisite for overall health.
But In the United States and in countries around the world many people
lack access to affordable mental health services. Without access to care, people suffer in
silence from depression, anxiety, and other psychoses. Mothers suffer alone from postpartum
depression. Adolescents, suffering from
treatable mental health conditions, often resort to self-harm, risky behaviors,
and even suicide. Individuals and families suffer from the ravages of alcoholism and related family violence.
When tragedies such as the mass
shootings at Virginia Tech or in Aurora, Colorado take place, the lack of
mental health care for individuals in desperate need is highlighted in the news media, but often
only briefly. But every day, the poor
and minorities suffer from inadequate access to mental healthcare. Even well-off people are can be denied care
because of the stigma attached to mental health problems or because insurance
does not provide coverage.
In the United States and around
the world, health care systems are overstretched by the burden of infectious
diseases, non-communicable diseases, accidents and violence. But this is no excuse to ignore mental
health. It’s time to pay attention to
the mental health of the population. Everyone has a right to mental health. The
poor and minorities need access. Even
the middle class people need to be freed from the stigma of seeking care for
mental health problems. And insurance
companies should find ways to provide coverage for mental health care.
There is no health without mental
health. We must promote access to mental
health care for all.
