On June 28, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on mental illness focusing on depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) noted that “NIMH [the National Institute of Mental Health] estimates that 10.4 percent of Americans suffer depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia in any given year,” and that mental illness “costs America about $170 billion per year in health care costs and lost productivity.” Rep. Deal emphasized the importance of proper treatment for mental illness, saying that “the children of mothers successfully treated for depression were 11 percent less likely to be diagnosed [with depression] themselves.” He also applauded the efforts of Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) and her staff for making the hearing possible.
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) said that the “belief that mental illness is not a ‘real’ illness is a huge problem,” and that “the more we learn about mental illness, the more ammunition we have to reduce its stigma.” Reps. Baldwin, Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Lois Capps (D-CA) urged their colleagues to support the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act (H.R. 1402) to increase access to mental health treatment.
After acknowledging her own family’s struggle with mental illness her granddaughter suffers from bipolar disorder Rep. Myrick said that “the purpose of the hearing is to bring mental health out of the shadows.” She said that “awareness provides a path to treatment,” and encouraged the subcommittee to hold future hearings on the subject.
Dr. Ray DePaulo, chair of the Department of Psychiatry at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told the subcommittee that “the most recent estimate is that about 10 percent of Americans have had at least one depressive episode in their lifetime,” and that “most will have multiple episodes.” He continued, saying that the World Health Organization “has demonstrated that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide…[and] that by 2020 depression will be the second most debilitating disease worldwide, after ischemic heart disease, and one of the leading causes of death, as suicide takes more lives than traffic accidents, lung disease, or AIDS.”
Director of NIMH, Dr. Thomas R. Insel, testified on new research findings, including the relationship between genes and brain behavior, genetic interaction with the environment, neuroimaging, and pharmacological clinical trials. Dr. Insel said that “the ultimate goal is personalized care for the full spectrum of people with mental disorders.” He said that he “firmly believes we have made a great start in understanding mental illnesses and that in our lifetimes we will be able to treat and even prevent mental illnesses with much greater certainty and speed. This will restore productivity, make families whole, and eliminate many of the 30,000 suicide deaths each year.”
Pete Early, a former reporter and author, shared his story of trying to find treatment for his adult son Mike, who has bipolar disorder. In a delusional state, Mike committed a crime; Mr. Early detailed the complex system of medical treatment, social services, and law enforcement he had to navigate to obtain treatment for his son following the criminal incident. In response to his personal experience, Mr. Early conducted an investigation of the Miami, Florida correctional system’s treatment of mentally ill prisoners. He concluded that “the largest public facilities for the mentally ill are not hospitals. They are jails and prisons.”
Jennifer Martin, a lawyer, testified that after graduating from law school and beginning her “dream job,” she fell into a serious depression. Her depressive episode led to decreased productivity, which in turn led to her termination. Ms. Martin said, “By removing the stigma of depression and helping people recognize that depression is a real illness, we bring this shadowed illness into the light of day and give millions of people who are not quietly suffering from this excruciatingly painful illness the opportunity to seek treatment treatment that can and does help.”
Also testifying were Dr. Diane Gooding, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who explained the biological basis of schizophrenia; Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, author and professor at UCLA, who discussed her personal battle with bipolar disorder and available pharmacological treatments; and Gilbert Lamphere, who shared his personal battle with severe and treatment-resistant depression.
