Patrick J. Kennedy: “We are not setting a very good example as a Federal Government, because we do not treat mental illness equally to other…”

the promise of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act has not been realized and that many Americans are encountering barriers when seeking professional help.

What we're trying to do is make the spirit of parity a practical reality.

Both APAs, my fellow panelist Patrick Kennedy, and the unified mental health and substance use disorder community championed the parity law in 2008, but it has failed to end discriminatory health insurance practices.

We keep these illnesses secret. And these illnesses being secret are the reason why they are exacerbated.