According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in four adults, approximately 57.7 million Americans, experience some form of a mental health disorder in a given year. One in 17 Americans live with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder, and about one in 10 children live with a serious mental or emotional disorder. These statistics raise the question of what state legislators can do to educate their constituents on how to recognize the symptoms of a mental illness and, once diagnosed, how to prevent serious consequences due to an untreated mental illness.
State legislators can play a vital role in supporting mental health initiatives that improve access to mental health services and meet the needs of an individual patient by enacting policies that provide business incentives and tax credits to employers who provide training programs, medical support, treatment programs, and workforce development programs for employees who suffer from mental illnesses.
Our Mental Health Legislative Toolkit includes: fact sheets; frequently asked questions; sample legislation; a fiscal impact analysis; and other resources to assist you in your efforts to educate your constituents on mental health treatment options and help improve quality of life for patients who live with mental illnesses. Below are links to the toolkit:
If you have any questions regarding the Toolkit, please contact Heather Boyd, Senior Policy Associate, at 202.333.0825 ext. 217 or via email at hboyd@womeningovernment.org.
