Advocacy E-News October 20, 2015
October 20, 2015
KEAN UNVEILS N.J. GUN CONTROL AND MENTAL HEALTH BILL
State Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. unveiled a new bill Friday that aims to ends a tug-of-war between Gov. Chris Christie and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney over gun control and mental health legislation. In a statement, Sweeney noted that “Kean’s bill “includes the same provisions from an original bill, and the new measure needs input from the mental health community.”
STUDY COMMISSION ON VIOLENCE RELEASES REPORT
Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman today received the first report by the Study Commission on Violence, an independent commission created by legislation to examine trends and sources of violence in New Jersey, the impact of violence on the community, and the public health approach to violence prevention.
TALK THERAPY FOUND TO EASE SCHIZOPHRENIA
More than two million people in the United States have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and the treatment for most of them mainly involves strong doses of antipsychotic drugs. Now, results of a landmark government-funded study call that approach into question. The findings, from by far the most rigorous trial to date conducted in the United States, concluded that schizophrenia patients who received smaller doses of antipsychotic medication and a bigger emphasis on one-on-one talk therapy and family support made greater strides in recovery.
COMMENTARY: SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES
It is incumbent on everyone who cares about mental health to advocate for a system that is more responsive to those who need it — including mental health consumers, their families and caregivers, the professionals who supply treatment and the facilities in which treatment is given. Join a support group. Advocate to your local politicians, attend meetings of the Mental Health and Addictions Board and other such organizations.
ACA MANDATED BETTER MENTAL HEALTH CARE HASN’T HAPPENED
The Affordable Care Act has boosted the number of Americans with health insurance coverage but has not resolved the disparate way in which many insurers treat the costs of mental and physical health care, according to a report released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It turns out that people across the country are struggling to find therapists and psychiatrists who participate in their health insurance plans. They also face more frequent coverage and treatment denials from their health insurance companies for mental health care than for other services.
FIND YOUR LOCAL NAMI
