Politics: How to Promote Mental Health in Government

PoliticsI am back in Washington, DC for American Psychiatric Association governance meetings, and it is hard not to be thinking about politics in this incredibly political town.

Ordinarily politics is a topic to avoid in a site like this one, but I am moved to ask you to help with one important and (relatively) non-partisan task –

Join the entire mental health lobbying coalition in urging the federal government to make a final rule on key parity law provisions in order to bring fair mental health coverage to millions of Americans. Send a message to your representative asking him or her to sign their name to a letter that is being circulated through the House of Representatives.

Although the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was enacted nearly four years ago, a final rule implementing the law has not yet been issued. Without a final rule from the administration, many individuals seeking care for mental health and addictive disorders have been unable to access the health care services they need.