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By Elinor Nelson
It's downright depressing to read NAMI's (National Alliance for
the Mentally Ill) report, "The State of Mental Health Services in
Massachusetts, The Impact of Inadequate Funding," issued on April
28 and available at www.namimass.org. According to NAMI, years of
insufficient funding has eaten away at the safety net of mental
health services offered by the Commonwealth, leaving too many mentally
ill people unserved and at risk to others and themselves.
NAMI, which refers to itself as "a grassroots, non-profit organization
dedicated to improving quality of life of everyone affected by mental
illness," issued the report in conjunction with the Massachusetts
kickoff of its 'Campaign for the Mind of America.' It hopes to
highlight the state of mental health services, and the far-reaching
consequences of the current system.
Toby Fisher, MBA/MSW, executive director of Massachusetts NAMI,
explains that "this is largely a public policy and media campaign,"
intended to endure for several years. NAMI has been trying to educate
legislators "to understand reality, that when we don't fund mental
health adequately, costs and unintended consequences show up through
many other areas of our communities." Insufficient mental health
services, he says, result in increased homelessness, emergency room
services, mental health issues popping up in classrooms and encounters
with the criminal justice system. Fisher also notes the massive
increase in the use of psychotropic medications, which, he thinks,
might be less necessary if other services are available. "The majority
of policymakers don't see the connection," Fisher says.
NAMI would like to see more government funding of mental health
services, but even with the current budget restrictions, Fisher
points out that limited government money could be more effectively
used. "We see money spent in the wrong places," he says, resulting
in "housing the mentally ill in the criminal justice system," or
in emergency room use, when "it's more expensive to treat in ER's,
than prophylactically in the mental health system. We're also paying
for inpatient treatment of people who could be treated in the community."
Even though Fisher readily concedes that Massachusetts has a better
mental health system than other parts of the country, NAMI cites
a total of 20,000 eligible people waiting for Department of Mental
Health services.
With what looks like a mountain of mental health needs, NAMI has
offered three top priorities: reducing the DMH waitlist, creating
affordable housing for the mentally ill, and keeping access open
to treatment and medications.
Lester Blumberg, J.D., chief of staff at the Department of Mental
Health, comments, "we are great supporters and fans of NAMI. Generally
speaking, they are on the right track and we share their priorities,"
although Blumberg estimates the DMH wait list at closer to 15,000.
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