Hillary Clinton laid out one of the most inclusive and in-depth mental health care plans ever last week. If she were elected, Clinton’s plan would help to destigmatize and fully insure mental health.
One in four people experience mental health problems worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. This is an issue we should focus on when deciding for whom to vote come November.
Two-thirds of college students struggling with mental health issues do not seek treatment, according to USA Today College. This is mainly because of lack of perceived need, perceived ineffectiveness of treatment and problems accessing care, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The stigma that mental health problems lead to discrimination and social isolation also affects students’ decisions to seek treatment.
Clinton’s plan seeks full parity for mental health, meaning these illnesses would be treated and covered as completely as strep throat or a broken leg.
Clinton’s expansion of Medicaid would include mental health services many cannot afford on their own. By treating these issues with the same attention and urgency as physical health problems, we can decrease the stigma surrounding mental health issues that further prevents people from getting proper care.
Along with stimulating multi-sector research on this topic and providing federal support for suicide prevention on college campuses, Clinton would seek to fund community health centers that include emergency psychiatric care, treatment for mental health and substance use disorders and peer support.
These kinds of initiatives are extremely important considering more teens and young adults die from suicide than from all medical illnesses combined, according to a report by USA Today College. Suffering with a mental illness can also prevent young people from performing their best in school or on the job, effectively hurting their ability to earn income in the long run.
It seems the approval of Clinton’s mental health plan has garnered a positive response all around.
“The detailed mental health plan outlined by Hillary Clinton is sweeping in nature and, if enacted, would greatly improve the nation’s mental health care system,” said Maria A. Oquendo, president of the American Psychiatric Association, in a statement.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) also noted his approval of Clinton’s mental health reform during an interview on C-SPAN’s Newsmakers program.
Clinton’s plan has a good chance of becoming law because both sides of Congress are already working to improve the federal government’s mental health efforts, producing a slew of bills with bipartisan backing. However, many of these bills were not passed, which is evidence that mental health reform needs a strong backing from our next president.
This is one of the most consequential announcements from Clinton’s campaign, and seemingly no one is aware of it.
Clinton’s clear and unequivocal stance on mental health alone makes her leagues better than her competitors.
If it’s not you struggling with mental health, it’s your sister or brother or friends or parents. This reform has the potential to save countless lives, and with one in four students struggling with mental illnesses, they’re people you know.
Ryan Thaxton is a 20-year-old mass communication sophomore from Monroe, Louisiana.