P.J. Star - America needs better mental health services

Op-Ed

By Rep. LaHood

Our nation's mental health system is in crisis.

Currently more than 11 million Americans suffer from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, yet a majority goes without treatment. Our criminal justice system, jails and prisons are overrun with people affected by mental illness. Families struggle to find care for loved ones and states lack the resources to help.

Twenty-six percent of Americans 18 and older have a mental illness diagnosed in any given year. There has been a steady growth in suicide rates each year since 1999, up 25 percent in the last 15 years. As a result, demand for mental health services has grown steadily while programs have become outdated and underfunded.

When we look at the ineffective patchwork of mental health services across 120 federal agencies, it doesn't take much for someone to see that our mental health system is in dire need of an upgrade.

Progress was made this week when the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2016. As a cosponsor, I was encouraged by the bipartisan support it received.

This legislation extends mental health programs to our most vulnerable populations, including those in the 18th District's rural communities. It increases access to doctor partnership programs, expands pediatric mental health services, promotes tele-health medicine and expands training for mental health professionals. Further, it addresses mental health in our criminal justice system. As a former state and federal prosecutor, I have seen firsthand how mental illness has impacted individuals, families and communities -- and severely strained our court system.

Public safety for our families and communities is always our first priority. However, we know that incarceration or warehousing of people suffering from mental illness is not a long-term solution. Resources should be targeted at prevention and treatment. This legislation calls on the federal government to create a plan to end the incarceration of nonviolent offenders with mental illness by 2026, and use the savings to support community mental health services. This initiative has the potential to decrease our jail and prison population, save taxpayer money, and foster a more appropriate environment for treatment for those serving nonviolent sentences.

Our mental health system is broken. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act takes important steps forward and lays a foundation for further conversation and reform. In Congress, I remain committed to ensuring that our mental health programs are effective, efficient, and accountable to taxpayers. The communities of the 18th Congressional District and our entire country deserve access to quality mental health services.

Darin LaHood represents Peoria as congressman in the 18th District.

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