Dear Colleagues
The US Presidential Commission Report on Mental Health has now been published and may be of interest to some of you. An excerpt from the press release calling for a radical change of the US system attached below
The full report is available at
http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/reports/reports.htm
Full press release at
http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/press/july03press.htm
Best wishes
David McDaid
LSE Health and Social Care
PRESIDENT'S MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION RECOMMENDS TRANSFORMING AMERICA'S MENTAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
President Bush's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health today presented its final report Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America to the President, as part of a week-long recognition of the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The product of a year of study, the report finds that the nation's mental health care system is beyond simple repair.
Commission Chair Michael F. Hogan, Ph.D., Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health, declared "The time has long passed for yet another piecemeal approach to mental health reform. For too many Americans with mental illnesses, mental health services and supports they need are disconnected and often inadequate. The commission has found that the time has come for a fundamental transformation of the Nation's approach to mental health care. This report provides the President with a roadmap for that transformation. The destination is recovery. We ask consumers, family members, service providers, other members of the mental health community and all Americans - to join us on that journey."
The commission finds that the current system is unintentionally focused on managing the disabilities associated with mental illness rather than promoting recovery, and that this limited approach is due to fragmentation, gaps in care, and uneven quality. These systems problems frustrate the work of many dedicated staff, and make it much harder for people with mental illness and their families to access needed care. Instead, the commission recommends a focus on promoting recovery and building resilience-the ability to withstand stresses and life challenges.
The approach recommended by the commission will move toward full community participation for children and youth, adults, and older Americans with mental illnesses-instead of school failure, institutionalization, long-term disability, and homelessness. The commission presents the President with six goals and a series of specific recommendations for federal agencies, states, communities, and providers nationwide. Together, working through both the public and private sectors, the recommendations would achieve the needed transformation in care, and put limited resources to their best use.
|