Patrick Kennedy: “I think we have before us a choice between science and stigma. Stigma is the biggest barrier to us making sure millions…”

“I think we have before us a choice between science and stigma. Stigma is the biggest barrier to us making sure millions of Americans gain access to what is fundamentally a physical illness. You do not need to take my word for it. You have every Nobel Laureate, the Surgeon Generals of the United States, all saying this is a physiologically, biologically based illness. So the notion that we are going to shut kids out from being screened so that we can intervene and make a difference in their lives, I do not understand. I would add one more thing: our colleagues have learned the hard way. Three of our colleagues have lost their children in the last couple of years alone as a result of suicide. We voted on one of those bills on suicide prevention on Senator Smith's son, who died a year ago yesterday as a result of suicide. We know of many others whose tragedies we do not want to go into. But to think that suicide and mental illness are not scientifically based is to look back and think we are still living in the Stone Age.”