John Rice Carter: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman has stated, this is a serious problem. This is a…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman has stated, this is a serious problem. This is a problem that I have dealt with as a professional pharmacist for many years. I have dealt with it in my retail setting in my pharmacies, as well as a consultant pharmacist in a long-term care facility in skilled nursing homes. I have seen the advances that we have made in medicine over the years. I have seen us go from only having the original antipsychotics, Haldol, which was always accompanied by a prescription for Cogentin to mask the side effects that the Haldol was going to have. I have seen the evolution of the atypical antipsychotics, which, while they do have some side effects themselves, are nowhere near the side effects that the original antipsychotics had. I do thank the gentleman for bringing this important issue to light, and I do have a few comments that I would like to make. First of all, medication plays a major role in the treatment for many mental illnesses. With the growing burden of mental disorders worldwide, pharmacists are ideally positioned to play a greater role in supporting people with a mental illness. There is a growing amount of evidence to show that pharmacist-delivered services in mental health care help address the barriers that are hurdles for the broader mental healthcare team. Pharmacists have three roles they can play in helping our country address the mental health crisis.…”