A little more than three years ago, after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School where a 20-year-old fatally shot 20 children between 6 and 7 years old as well as six adult staff members, I publicly voiced my opinion that the inadequate focus on mental and behavioral disorders was also a tragedy.
I noted, “If the past is any indication, the next mass shooting likely will be triggered by a mental health disorder suffered by an individual whose history of behavior had raised concerns but upon which no one acted.”
Now, in the aftermath of the horrific tragedy in Orlando that once again has shaken us as a nation, I say again: How many more tragedies must this nation endure before we fully recognize that mental health and behavior disorders are forms of disease that deserve the same attention and resources as any other pervasive disease?
The statistics are sobering. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 1 in 5 U.S. adults—43.8 million people, or 18.5% of the population—experience mental illness in a given year. About 10 million adults in our country experience a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. Among the 20.3 million U.S. adults who experienced a substance-abuse disorder, more than half of them—about 10.2 million adults—had a co-occurring mental illness.
In 2012, I noted that our attention and resources as a nation are inadequate to address the rising needs of our mental and behavioral health. Today, things have not improved quickly enough.
Insurance coverage for the treatment of these disorders has long been discriminatory compared with coverage for physical diseases. In 2008, the federal government essentially legislated that there be parity between mental health coverage and physical health coverage, but the intended changes have been problematic and slow in coming.
For our part, Ascension has established behavioral/mental health as a dedicated priority service line across our national healthcare system because we recognize the importance of quality mental healthcare in our communities. We are connecting our clinical staff to share information and best practices to better address this specific need while working to improve access nationwide for those who need it most.
Through our participation nationwide in the federal Veterans Choice Program, we now are meeting the holistic healthcare needs of our nation's veterans—well aware of current statistics indicating that each day an estimated 18 to 22 veterans die by suicide because their unique mental and behavioral health needs have not been addressed. Ascension is committed to better outcomes for our veterans, and for all those we are privileged to serve.
After the Sandy Hook tragedy, I called for the need to recognize and constantly remind ourselves that our collective health—physical and mental—is one of our nation's greatest resources, and it should be one of our greatest priorities. In the wake of the Orlando tragedy, let us together as one nation turn our words and raw emotions into action with positive public policy that more effectively addresses the growing challenge of mental and behavioral illness.
Anthony Tersigni is CEO of St. Louis-based Ascension, the nation's largest nonprofit health system.
