Reactions to APA’s Vision Statement

“It is my sense that there is substantial convergence of the vision articulated by APA and the New Freedom Commission. It’s my fervent hope that all the stakeholders in mental health will rally around this vision and devote the resources necessary to transform an inaccessible and fragmented mental health system into one that is cohesive, relevant, and efficient in meeting the needs of everyone who suffers from mental illness and their families and communities.

“APA’s leadership is essential as the country moves forward with acceptance and implementation of the commission’s recommendations.”

—Anil Godbole, M.D., chair of the psychiatry department at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and president of the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems. He is a member of the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.

“APA has laid out a vision that, if realized, would give individuals with mental illness the hope and opportunity that is their birthright as much as every other American’s. As APA has laid out, our mental health care should be comprehensive; it should be fully integrated with other systems and be heavily oriented toward prevention and early intervention. And most of all, it should emphatically reject the notion that mental illness is in any way shameful or blameworthy. I look forward to continuing to work with APA to discard the archaic legacy of stigma and stereotypes that have characterized our approach to mental health and instead build a future based on dignity, equality, and a recognition that treatment works if we give it a chance.”

—Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), a member of the Labor, Health, and Human Services Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee

“The private sector coverage that has long been available for physical illness must also exist for mental health care before we can achieve broad access to high-quality treatment.

“Putting treatment of mental illness on a par with all other health care will drive many of the other systemic improvements we need, such as research, into more effective interventions in less-restrictive environments and investment in the infrastructure needed to deliver quality mental health care. Most important is the provision of treatment with dignity.”

—Rep. Nancy L. Johnson (R-Conn.), chair of the Health Subcommittee of House Ways and Means Committee

“We are really pleased at APA’s proactive response to the New Freedom Commission’s findings that America’s mental health system is in shambles. NAMI [National Alliance for the Mentally Ill] applauds and supports the vision and is committed to acting together with our partners in APA to provide sustained impetus for full system reform.”

—Jim McNulty, president of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill