Tucson massacre catalyzes effort to help mentally ill

A quarter of U.S. adults are mentally ill or have addictions but fewer than half get treatment, Linda Rosenberg, president of the Washington D.C.-based National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare(NCCBH), said at a March 10 Newsmaker.

Her remarks came as the Council stepped up in the wake of the January Tuscon disaster its effort to help people recognize and aid victims of mental illness.

"A tragic event or a famous person gets our attention, but the real faces of mental illness are far more ordinary," she said.

A troubled youth, Jarred Loughner, was accused of killing six people and wounding 14 in the Tuscon tragedy.

Rosenberg recalled the illness in her own family.

"Long ago, when I was a girl, some days my mother didn't get out of bed, my father drank too often and too much and my little brother couldn't learn and was always in trouble," she said. "My family was unhappy but no one helped. Unfortunately, my family's story remains all too commonplace."

Almost one fourth of U.S. hospital stays involve mental illness or addiction, according to Rosenberg.

"Mood disorders rank first in lost work costs and are the most common reason for going on Social Security disability," she said. "Up to 50 percent of people in jail have a mental illness, and up to 80 percent have an addiction disorder. More than 33,000 suicides occurred in the U.S. last year, equaling 91 suicides per day; one suicide every 16 minutes."

One program helping to address the problem, Rosenberg said, is Mental Health First Aid USA. The initiative is based on an Austrailian model now in 15 countries. The 12-hour training course certifies Mental Health First Aiders.

A skit by two NCCH trainers just back from Tucson showed how it works. One of the two, Bryan V. Gibb, director of public education for NCCBH, described it as largely a "ministry of presence."

The training program is designed to answer what Rosenberg said are "the two most common questions we hear ... How do I know when someone is having a mental health crisis? And what can I do to help?"

Neighbors help neighbors by offering to call 911 or a family member or to take the victim to a doctor or hospital. Gibb said 25 people from from various walks of life were trained in Tuscon. Phoenix is next up for the course.

Questioned about how to deal with the homeless mentally ill, Rosenberg said 44 states now have laws to help them financially. Another member of the audience, Aileen Kroll, legislative and policy counsel for the Arlington-based Treatment Advocacy Center, said victims often suffer from anosogrosia, which means they don't know they're mentally ill. The training program is designed to help first-aiders know what to do.

-- Robert Webb, [email protected]