Dr. Herbert Pardes, a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, discusses the recent White House conference - 17/06/13 05:00 from NYT > Psychiatry and Psychiatrists: Priority for Mental Illness

» Priority for Mental Illness
17/06/13 05:00 from NYT > Psychiatry and Psychiatrists
Dr. Herbert Pardes, a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, discusses the recent White House conference.

LETTER

Priority for Mental Illness

Published: June 16, 2013

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To the Editor:

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Regarding the recent White House conference on mental health:

Those of us who worked for years to address mental health challenges in the country should take heart in the effort President Obama is making to deal with the multiple challenges of mental health and psychiatric illness.

One of five people has a psychiatric illness. Suicides are increasing around the country. Large numbers of veterans come home with post-traumatic stress disorder. The defendants in some of our recent gun violence tragedies have shown evidence of mental illness.

It may seem formidable to address these issues at a time when money is so tight. But not every issue requires money. President Obama rightly encouraged people to attack the stigma of mental illness, to recognize the hardships of people who have psychiatric illness and to make services available.

Many mental health providers are generating novel ideas, including addressing depression on a population basis, using peers to support and assist people with psychiatric problems, and finding ways to restore longtime psychiatric patients in state hospitals to some functional life outside an institution.

We should take the president’s statement and the White House conference as a call to the entire country to put mental health on our top-priority list and to encourage the most creative thinking in reducing the shame and providing the care and support needed.

HERBERT PARDES
New York, June 6, 2013

The writer, a psychiatrist, is a former chief executive of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

A version of this letter appeared in print on June 17, 2013, on page A16 of the New York edition with the headline: Priority for Mental Illness.