For this election, NMHA and NAMI, two major advocacy groups, have
listed several issues as priorities: parity in insurance coverage for
mental illnesses; financial and community support for the uninsured and
those on Medicaid, particularly children; consumer protections and rights
in managed care; access to mental health services and medications for the
elderly; and reducing the stigma associated with mental illness.
How have the candidates responded? Gore has addressed most of these
issues. In his May "New Family Agenda," he unveiled a plan to "help
remove the stigma of mental illness," encourage insurance parity, support
those caring for mentally ill family members, assist schools on mental
health issues, and "provide access to full mental health coverage for all
children--most of whom do not receive mental health services when they
need them." "The availability of treatment of diabetes and the
availability of treatment for depression or schizophrenia ought to be the
same," he has said. "This is one that I will fix for you."
The wide-ranging, detailed plan addresses such issues as making
sure parents in search of mental health help for their children do not
lose their children to child welfare services in the process; supporting
families of the mentally ill and others with the Family and Medical Leave
Act (FMLA) and with tax credits; encouraging community- and home-based
care over institutions; reaching out to the homeless; supporting
scientific research into treatments for mental illness; and fighting for
a "strong, enforceable patients' bill of rights."
In June, Bush delivered his "New Freedom Initiative," "to speed up
the day when our country has removed the last barrier to full,
independent, productive lives for every person, regardless of
disability." His plan, while not specific, addressed his desire to see
people with disabilities move toward independent living, as well as
participation in the workforce and the community. He pledged his support
for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which his father signed into
law.
"In the Olmstead case last year," he said, "the Supreme Court ruled
that, wherever possible, mentally ill persons are entitled to live in the
'most integrated' community settings rather than in institutions. This
ruling, however, has not been completely carried out .... As
president...I will sign an executive order committing my administration
to its implementation." He did not, however, explain his participation in
the challenge to Olmstead, which he filed with a friend of the court
brief.
For advocacy efforts to succeed, it is key that the special needs
of the mentally ill do not disappear behind the doors that have
traditionally kept them hidden away.
"What we're really looking for [in the candidates]," comments
NAMI's Michael Fitzpatrick, "is a public commitment to support this
evidence-based and treatment-based system of care, and that it become
part of their public program...to continue the public dialogue."
They're also concerned about whether the people around the furore
president will let mental health advocates in the door. With Gore,
there's little doubt: After all, one of this country's most vocal mental
health advocates is his wife, who holds two degrees in psychology. With
Bush, some questions remain. "I would be concerned with the people around
him," says state representative Coleman. Coleman, who has bipolar
disorder himself, authored the Texas mental health insurance parity bill,
and has been a leader in the state's legislative efforts in these areas.
"His staff has tended to be less interested than he would be personally,"
Coleman says. "If the people around him don't believe what he believes,
how's it ever going to get to his desk?"
The Man Behind the Candidates
Personality Analysis
If the Clinton presidency achieved nothing else, it put personality
back on the political radar screen--a reminder that the presidency
involves a person as well as a role, and that, a la Nixon, a personality
flaw, be it arrogance, ambition or poor impulse control, can bring down
the office.
As we approach the presidential election, voters are surely asking
themselves how to avoid another Monica-style scandal. Pollsters told us
that Clinton was likeable and, lo and behold, we liked him. But what else
should we have known about his personality before we pulled that lever?
In this age of spin control and scripted media appearances, it's harder
than ever to see the man behind the candidate.
"When you can put on images and fronts to appeal to whoever you
need to appeal to, it leaves you with the question, 'Who is this
person?'" says Anthony Pratkanis, a political psychologist at the
University of California-Santa Cruz. "Is George Bush the right-winger of
the primary or the centrist of the election?
It would be nice if we could seat Governor Bush and Vice President
Gore in the psychologist's chair and subject them to a battery of
scientifically validated tests-like those used to test leaders in the
military and elsewhere--to study everything from personality to reasoning
skills to leadership to creativity to managerial style to personal
values. We'd be able to determine, with some degree of certainty, how
they differ from each other, how they measure up to the population at
large, and how they are likely to perform in the future.
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