we should start a petition for mental health reform

[Guest guest]

I have been a member of this group for about 2 years now. I've been

dealing with my 11 year olds severe OCD for about 3 1/2 years. She

also has Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD. I see a common thread in many

of the emails I've read and it's something I've dealt with again and

again throughout this ordeal. There is a huge problem with the lack

of benefits for mental health illnesses. Everyone on this site can

attest to how dibilitating and life altering this disease can be.

Why should mental health issues be counted and covered differently

than other " physical " illnesses??????It is WRONG!!!! Besides, since

they say it is related to a " chemical imbalance " isn't that

physical????

We should figure out how to get something introduced in Washington

to try to make it a law to treat mental health illnesses as other

illnesses. It seems that in this country anyway, mental health

issues, people with mental health problems are looked down upon and

stigmatized often. I feel that our children with mental health

issues are discriminated against by our healthcare system. My

insurance only covers 20 visits a year to the psychologist, which is

never enough, and all her medication, and counseling visits don't

count towards our out of pocket maximum. If they did, we'd be there

every year. I know many on this site have talked about their

insurance not covering mental health at all.

I don't know how many members this site has, but, if we figured out

who to write, or send a petition to or something, we'd have a great

start.

Anyone know where to start or who to write????

Darletta