Breaking the Silence

One in twenty U.S. adults experience serious mental illness. The average delay between the onset of symptoms and treatment is ELEVEN YEARS.

Eleven years is far too long. I have become an advocate for mental health, and more specifically mental illness, following the diagnosis of a close family member of mine with whom has Schizoaffective Disorder. My loved one has been sick for ten years, hospitalized many times and incarcerated as well. Mental illness is a family illness and is often filled with hopelessness and discouragement.

The mental health system in our country is broken, and unless you have a loved one with serious mental illness or work in mental health services, you likely are unaware. There are major systemic failures that make treating the seriously mentally ill challenging. For one, a huge lack of funding. In fact, I'm told mental health services take up less than 3% of the national health budget.

We need to bring attention to the gaps in the system to increase access to care and increase the chance at recovery. We need more funding. We need more beds. We need treatment instead of incarceration. We need a mental health response from law enforcement for crisis calls. Law enforcement needs to be trained in de-escalation techniques. We need to increase the workforce and fight for better pay. We need to figure out how mobile crisis can be deployed easier during times of crisis. How can we better define 'A Danger to Themselves or Others." Psychiatric stays need to be longer. How can we better address outpatient care following discharge from a hospital stay so that patients can succeed in recovery? Insurance providers should be held accountable - reimbursement for psychiatric services should be at the same level as physical services.

Our loved ones did not ask for mental illness, they deserve love and treatment just like any other disease. NOT PUNISHMENT!Let's fight to bring attention to this very important topic and help make a difference.