Patrick J. Kennedy: “We need to do something extraordinary, and it ain't going to be... just borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.”

we have made progress in normalizing conversations and reducing stigma about mental illness, it is clear, it is so clear

Denial is the big issue here. And we all know growing up in families where there is alcoholism and addiction or mental illness that we don't like to talk about these things.

We ought to be encouraging people in this country to seek mental health. That should not be a disqualifying factor.

We wouldn't expect any less if there were any other illness. And yet we settled for less than 20 percent of Americans getting any of that today in this country.