Shouldn’t all Americans be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities?
Sadly, when it comes to the treatment of people with mental illness, addiction and brain injury, equality remains unattained.
In America in 2013, thousands of our fellow citizens are still marginalized. They are still discriminated against. They face stigma every day. Today, too many Americans are told that they’re less entitled to health care than those who have diseases like diabetes or cancer or asthma, just because the origin of their illness is in their brain. Without equality, or parity, insurers can refuse to cover mental illnesses at the same level as other physical illnesses, making it harder for people to get well and often further isolating them in their struggle. Together, we must change that.
Eliminating the stigma of mental illness — and finally achieving parity for its treatment — is the next chapter in America’s civil rights movement.
by Patrick J. Kennedy, CNN