National Coalition of Mental Health Professionals and Consumers, Inc.

an educational foundation and advocacy organization serving mental health consumers and professionals

Untreated mental health problems destroy lives, hurt families, and hurt communities.

Each year one out of five people suffers from a mental health problem. Yet, high quality mental health care is unavailable to most people. The current insurance system has cut mental health and substance abuse benefits more than 50% since 1987 (Hay Group Study, 1987-1997).

FORTY YEARS OF RESEARCH HAVE SHOWN THAT:

• Over half of medical visits are for conditions that are related to Mental Health Problems.

• If enough money is provided for mental health care, it significantly reduces spending on medical care and hospitalization, therefore reducing overall health care costs.

• Untreated mental health problems have high costs. They include the costs of crime and substance abuse, and the money spent for victims, police, courts, prisons, and related agencies; domestic violence and child abuse; on-the-job accidents, absenteeism, disability, and unproductiveness in the workplace; behavior problems at school; divorces painful to adults and children; teen pregnancy; homelessness; runaway youth; and so much more.

The Above Facts Are Known And Ignored. A lack of understanding and fear of mental health problems and the unfounded fear of “runaway costs” keep this nation from making REAL mental health care a priority.

No one is exempt from the effects of untreated mental health problems.
For a strong society, REAL mental health care for everyone is an absolute necessity.

• A REAL DEFINITION OF “MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS”: Serious mental illness, substance abuse, and emotional problems.
• REAL BENEFITS: Mental health problems are treatable! Without REAL treatment, the nation pays dearly in cash, physical illness, and emotional pain.

  • Patients need full choice, privacy, and control over decision-making. The U. S. Supreme Court (Jaffee v.Redmond,1996) recognized the need for absolute privacy in Psychotherapy, saying, “ the mere possibility of disclosure of confidential communications may impede the development of the relationship necessary for successful treatment.”
  • Patients need a system that encourages clinical excellence and high quality care, not a system that seeks the “cheapest labor.”

• REAL PARITY: The discrimination between physical and mental health care must end.  Fake parity limits the number of sessions for corporate profit needs. External “management” of care based largely on finances and corporate profit must stop. It deprives people of needed personal privacy and needed quality care.

• REAL FUNDING: According to the U. S. Supreme Court (1996) the nation’s mental health is a public good, which is as important as its physical health. Public and private health plans need to allocate approximately 10% of the health care dollar to the treatment of mental health problems (as defined above). This will save money and make the nation stronger. The seriously mentally ill, the addicted, and those with emotional problems deserve high quality, REAL mental health care.

• REAL MENTAL HEALTH CARE: It’s good for families. It’s good for communities. It’s good for schools. It’s good for workplaces. It’s good for the economy. It’s good for the nation. It’s good for everyone.