The House of Representatives and the Senate have both passed their versions of Mental Health Parity (H.R. 1424 and S. 558, respectively); however, in a recent Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) Advocacy Alert, we’re reminded that the battle for Mental Health Parity isn’t quite finished, especially given the limited number of legislative days the House and the Senate have to come up with and agree on Mental Health Parity law that will benefit us all.

After seven years and a lot of blood, sweat and tears, victory is finally within reach. We are so close to the enactment of Mental Health Parity, legislation that would end the discrimination in health coverage between mental illness and “physical” illnesses like diabetes or heart disease.

Thanks to the DBSA, you can easily send an email to your legislators asking them to do just that.

And honestly, after reading the determined and moving passage quoted above, how can you not?

Remember! You have until May 31, 2008 to enter the Mental Health Notes Birthday Giveaway, and forever to join the This Is Why I ROCK! series!

Post from: Blisstree

Mental Health Parity Update: DBSA Advocacy Alert

They’re all part of this week’s Saturday Sanity!

It’s not unusual to skim through the other b5media Science & Health Channel blogs and find mental health-related discussions going on. Here are a few from this week:

• Elaine at Genetics & Health posted Happiness is down to your genes, a look at a University of Edinburgh and Queensland Institute for Medical Research study dealing with happiness being “partly determined by personality traits and that both personality and happiness are largely hereditary.”
• Marijke at Help My Hurt posted Don’t bother with aromatherapy – it won’t help your pain, which highlights a recent study suggesting aromatherapy not only doesn’t help relieve pain, but that “even distilled water showed a more positive effect than lavender” in regards to pain and stress. (Read my own comment about lavender-related fiascoes!)
• Liberty at Healthbolt posted Restful Sleep Sappers Exposed!, a look at “junk sleep” (interesting name) and a list of potential sleep-depriving culprits.

And, some Saturday Sanity from around the world:

• Jace from everyminute.org was awesome enough to let me and all Mental Health Notes readers know about this wonderful new grassroots organization that aims to fight stigma and secure research funding. I highly recommend checking it out, as well as signing the online declaration (which is cool not only because you’re making your voice heard, but also because you actually get to use your mouse to sign your name!).
• Army: Psychiatrists needed on warfronts. Includes a jaw-dropping plethora of statistics and research findings. Nothing surprising, per se, but jaw-dropping nonetheless.
• The House may have passed the Paul Wellstone Mental Health And Addiction Equality Act, but there’s still work to be done.
• Fewer Montanans locked up. Department of Corrections director Mike Ferriter “credits the state’s falling number of incarcerated citizens to a host of new programs that aim to hold felons accountable, but also help them deal with drug addiction, alcoholism, mental illness and other personal issues that often lie at the root of criminal behavior.” Sure wish my home state would follow suit.
• Scientists pinpoint why some people become addicts. My favorite quote from the article? “This research helps us move away from thinking of drug dependence as a moral weakness and allows us to see it as more of a medical condition.” YAY for that!
• Anger in teenage boys tied to enlarged brain region. There are about 157 jokes I could make about that article title, but the article itself is interesting. Sample? “[Scientists in Australia and the United States] report that these boys may also be unable to control their emotions because other parts of the brain that normally control strong emotions don’t mature till the early 20s.”
• When It Comes To Emotions, Eastern And Western Cultures See Things Very Differently. This research suggests that, when trying to determine a particular person’s emotions, people of Eastern cultures tend to assess the emotions of others who happen to be near that person, too, while people of Western cultur tend to focus solely on that particular person’s emotions without using the surrounding people’s emotions as guidance.

Remember, if you have any news you think is Saturday Sanity-worthy, you can feel free to send it my way!

Stay tuned later today when Mental Health Notes wraps up the Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills series in honor of Patient Safety Awareness Week!

Image source and owner.

Post from: Blisstree

What Do Happiness, Sleep Deprivation, And Prison Have In Commom?

Last night I spread the word about the House passing the Paul Wellstone Mental Health And Addiction Equality Act (H.R. 1424), reminded you that though we still have much to do the goal is in sight, and promised to keep you updated as new information became available.

Well, less than 24 hours later, I’ve received an advocacy alert from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) urging me to send a message to President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, my U.S. Senators, and my U.S. House Representative.

I encourage you to do the same!

You can read the DBSA Advocacy Alert online. At the bottom of the alert, the DBSA has conveniently included a form you can complete that will send an email message to Bush, Cheney, your Senators and your Representatives.

It’s too simple not to complete and send!

Remember, we’re currently in the middle of Patient Safety Awareness Week. With the “Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills” series I’ve been running here at Mental Health Notes, I’ve been trying to help you become patients who are more active in their health care.

What better way to get more active in your health care than by urging the powers that be to develop and agree upon the same version of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health And Addiction Equality Act (H.R. 1424) and by urging the President to pass it?

Send your emails now!

Image source.

Post from: Blisstree

Mental Health Parity Update: Contact Congress Now!

It’s a happy day night morning (oh, man, I really need to work on a getting a regular sleep schedule going on) time for mental health patients, advocates, and family members and friends! Oh, who am I kidding – it’s a happy time for all Americans!

The House just passed the Paul Wellstone Mental Health And Addiction Equality Act (H.R. 1424)! (That link will take you to an explanation of H.R. 1424.)

You can view the official Yeas and Nays online. (Why does it seem like Republicans aren’t so keen on having mental health and substance abuse parity?)

To my understanding, now that both the Senate and the House have passed their respective versions of the bill, it’s now time to work out some differences and come up with a version they can pass on to the President.

So, we’re not quite there yet, but we’re definitely getting closer! Count on me and Mental Health Notes to keep you posted as updates are made available.

Image source.

Post from: Blisstree

Mental Health Parity Update: House Passes Paul Wellstone Mental Health And Addiction Equality Act

I received an email from Mental Health America regarding a House of Representatives vote on a comprehensive mental health/substance use parity bill Wednesday, March 5, 2008. I’m sharing this email in hopes that each of you will take any of the suggested actions before March 5.

Dear Alicia,

Sustaining the momentum you helped launch, the House of Representatives has scheduled a historic vote on a comprehensive mental health/substance use parity bill Wednesday, March 5. This vote is critical to our shared goal of winning enactment of a strong mental health parity law this year. Here’s how you can help:

• Send an e-mail. Please urge your U.S. Representative to support passage of H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health & Addiction Equity Act by sending an e-mail.
• Call the Toll-Free Parity Hotline @ 1-866-parity4. Given the importance of this vote, please take a minute to also call your Representative using the toll-free Parity Hotline, 1-866-parity4 (1-866-727-4894). The Parity Hotline reaches the Capitol switchboard, which can connect callers to their members of Congress. If you do not know the name of your Representative, click here. Message: “I am calling to ask that the Representative vote for H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health & Addiction Equity Act. Parity is needed to end insurance discrimination and save lives.”
• Please let us know you made the call!
• Forward this message to your friends and family.
• Learn more. To learn more about this life saving legislation, visit the the Campaign to Insure Mental Health and Addiction Equity.

Thank you for fighting to protect America’s mental health!

Image credit.

Post from: Blisstree

Historic Vote: Comprehensive Mental Health/Substance Use Parity Bill