Joe Barton: “I, along with every Member of this body, am very concerned about the almost invisible illness which we call mental…”

“I, along with every Member of this body, am very concerned about the almost invisible illness which we call mental illness. There is absolutely no question that it is real. There is no question that we need to do more to alleviate it and treat it and, if possible, make it possible for those that have it to be cured of it. Unfortunately, the bill before us today doesn't do that. We are in the process of putting together a bill that, if it passes in its current form, does nothing more than bureaucratize, in my opinion, the treatment of mental illness. It goes so far as to put the entire catalog of various diagnoses into Federal statute. I don't think that makes a lot of sense. This Diagnostic and Statistical Manual has numerous categories that are very real abuses, very real problems, but I think it is a debatable proposition whether they constitute mental illness. For example, code V71.01 of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual covers professional thieves, racketeers, and dealers in illegal substances. Now in my book, those are thugs and criminals; they are not people suffering from a mental illness.”