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PUBLIC INFORMATION
AND EDUCATION
BETTS: STIGMA IS GREATEST MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGEResidents of Rural Areas a ConcernKNOXVILLE - Tennessee’s top mental health official says the social stigma attached to mental illness continues to be the largest barrier to accessing mental health services. Commissioner Virginia Trotter Betts of the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities says stigma is particularly an issue with residents in rural areas, older adults, ethnic and racial minorities. “The good news today is that mental health disorders can be correctly diagnosed and treated,” Betts said Tuesday in a presentation to about 300 mental health professionals at a training conference of the Tennessee Association of Mental Health Organizations (TAMHO) in Knoxville, Tenn. “A range of treatment exists for most mental disorders and Tennessee is committed to a continuum of care focused on helping people with mental illnesses lead productive lives.” The President’s New Freedom Commission Report on Mental Health set a goal of helping people understand that mental health is essential to overall health. “One in four Americans will have a diagnosable mental disorder during their lifetime,” Betts said. “Mental illnesses are real, prevalent and disabling, but we know that treatment works and recovery is possible.” Betts calls for a scientific revolution in mental health today. “We know more today about how to treat mental illnesses than we know about how to prevent mental illness and promote mental health. Yet a 15- to 20-year gap exists between what is known and what is practiced.” A responsive mental health system must provide a continuum of services utilizing the best practices of health and science, Betts told conference participants, outlining these priorities:
Tennesseans can learn more about accessing mental health services
in Tennessee or volunteering to help others who are in treatment
by visiting the department’s Web site at www.state.tn.us/mental. |
