This is far from my last advocate post. I haven’t even gotten started. In My Last Advocate Post, Susan Zarit of Bravely Bipolar makes the case that we who live with mental illness must organize and speak up. I strongly agree with her concluding points and have added details of my own based on my experience.
- We lack psychiatrists
- We lack psychiatric beds
- We lack good quality psychiatric care, both inpatient and outpatient
- Our mental health system is broken
- Mental health care workers, including psychiatrists, are overwhelmed
- Most psychiatrists refuse to accept MediCare, leaving those of us on disability without psychiatric care
- Rural areas lack psychiatrists, psychotherapists, mental health support groups, and quality medical care in general
We with mental illness must organize and speak up! We are not alone.
Such great article!