We may be on the verge of a new era in mental health. So says
Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore. And
she should know. Tipper Gore, who has two degrees in psychology, organized and chaired the first-ever White House Conference on Mental Health, attended by President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, top government officials and mental health professionals from around the
country.
As mental health policy adviser to the president, Gore encouraged
Surgeon General David Satcher to prepare the Surgeon General's Report on
Mental Health. She's been a driving force in the new
"parity" movement—striving to provide the same insurance coverage for
psychological problems as for physical problems. And she's a leader in
the effort to destigmatize mental illness—the effort to recognize
that depression, schizophrenia, autism and other behavioral disorders
should be treated, rather than hidden or scorned.
Rosalynn Carter, wife of former President Jimmy Carter, got
involved with the mental health community in 1971, back when many
mentally ill were still being warehoused in huge state mental hospitals.
Responding to the pleas of constituents and friends, she has worked ever
since to improve services in the mental health field and to educate the
public about the plight of the mentally ill.
In her book, Helping Someone with Mental Illness, written with
Susan K. Golant, Carter explains the urgency of the problems facing the
mentally ill in this country: Every year "more than 50 million people, or
22% of our nation population over age 18, will suffer a mental disorder,"
she writes.
The book moves us with stories about battles won by celebrities
like Mike Wallace, as well as everyday people like auto parts worker
Stuart Perry, and offers the serious reader lists of further reading,
organizations, Web sites, an extensive glossary and more.
Robert Epstein interviewed both of these courageous leaders as
their countrywide campaign for improved mental health care was gathering new
momentum.
Tipper Gore on Depression, Humor and Mental
Health
Epstein: Your recent disclosures about your own successful battle
against depression have probably already helped a lot of people.
Gore: I said that I had clinical depression, that I recognized it
and went to a social worker. I got diagnosed and then successfully
treated. I hope that will encourage people to seek treatment if they
think they are suffering from depression.
As first lady of the United States, what would be your
agenda?
Al and I have been involved in trying to educate people about
mental health issues for many years. I will continue to do that. Mental
health should be integrated into the health care system, into the way we
think about health care as we go into the 21st century. We've got to
become more compassionate and more supportive of people who have mental
health problems, both in the way that we offer access to treatment and
the way we train our professionals. It's also important that we push for
parity in insurance coverage so that mental health services will be
covered under health care policies.
If you have a physical problem, like a broken leg, your
insurance will cover treatment as long as you need it. But with
depression or bipolar disorder, that's not the case. When your sessions
are up, the insurance cuts off, even if you haven't improved.
It's discrimination based on diagnosis and it's terrible. It
has no place in our society, particularly one founded on equality. But
we're making great headway on this issue, both at the state and federal
levels. I'm hoping that the conference on mental health that we held
recently at the White House will help to reduce this kind of
discrimination.
How do you stay on an even keel? You must experience more
stress than the average American.
Stress is relative, so I wouldn't say that I'm necessarily
different from anyone else. But I do think it's important to have a
strategy for dealing with stress, no matter who you are or where you find
yourself in life. Al runs regularly and does a workout routine six days a
week. I run, I rollerblade, I bike ride. It's important for me to be
outdoors as much as possible.
You do all these things surrounded by Secret Service
agents?
Well, no. I try to get some in back of me or some in front of
me instead of being surrounded by them. [laughs] I think humor, too, is a
stress reliever, as is doing things we enjoy.
There are now 64,000 Americans over age 100, and a recent
study suggests that what many of them have in common is a sense of humor
and good stress-management skills.
Is that why they lived so long? [laughs] Well, that would
simplify our medical bills, wouldn't it? I know a number of people in
their 80s who are very active, and I think we have neglected to look at
the mental health needs of our aging population. People often say that
depression is just a normal part of the aging process, but it isn't.
Elderly people respond well to the right treatment.
Any last words?
Tags:
al gore,
depression,
everyday people,
former president jimmy carter,
hillary rodham clinton,
insurance coverage,
mental disorder,
mental health,
mental health community,
mental health field,
mental health policy,
mental health professionals,
mental illness,
mike wallace,
policy adviser,
president jimmy carter,
psychological problems,
public policy,
robert epstein,
Rosalynn Carter,
state mental hospitals,
stigma,
susan k golant,
tipper gore,
white house conference
