Talking Points for Meetings with Legislators

Use these talking points when meeting with legislators. This information can also help you develop testimony for committee or subcommittee hearings on mood disorders/mental illness.

Equal treatment:

• Through scientific research, it is proven that severe mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and major depression are physical disorders like Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s.
   

• Altered brain chemistry, structure and functioning, as well as genes, are among the causes of brain disorders. For example, imbalances in the chemicals serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine and their receptors have been linked to brain disorders such as depression and schizophrenia.
   

• Advanced imaging technology and other methods have pinpointed structural differences in the brains of individuals with brain disorders.
   

• It is scientifically clear that mood disorders are not caused by bad character, poor child-rearing or an individual’s behavior.
   

• People should not be blamed for their illness. A mood disorder is a real, medical illness – not a character flaw or a personal weakness – a person cannot just snap out of it.
   

• It’s time for legislators and policymakers to take notice and respond to the scientific discoveries of the past few years. We don’t deny people access to the latest treatments for cancer or heart disease. We shouldn’t deny access to people who have a physical disorder which affects the brain. It’s just a different part of the body – the brain deserves the same respect as the heart.

Discrimination:

• Discrimination, whatever the form, is WRONG. Mental illness is jut like any other medical illness; treatment is successful and cost effective. The passage of mental health parity legislation will help end benefit discrimination that currently exists against people with mental illness.
   

• Americans with mental illness face serious discrimination. Individuals with brain disorders often cannot obtain adequate health insurance coverage.
   

• Nearly 98% of private sector health insurance plans impose some form of unfair discriminatory limits on mental illness treatment, such as higher co-payments, fewer allowable outpatient and inpatient days.
   

• Individuals with brain disorders often cannot obtain adequate health insurance coverage.
   

• Research indicates that if you have health insurance, 90% of insurance companies offer lesser benefits for brain disorders than for other physical conditions.
   

• This discrimination and increased financial burden often prevent people from getting the treatment they need, even though this treatment is often more effective than treatment for many other medical illnesses.

Treatment does work:

• Treatment of depression and bipolar disorder does work. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the current success rates for treating severe forms of brain disorders are 65% for bipolar disorder and for major depression the rate is 80%.
   

• The success rate for treating brain disorders are often far better than they are for many other medical conditions. For example, the overall successes rate of some commonly used treatments for cardiovascular disease is only 45 to 50 percent.
   

• Treatment can help people live healthy, productive lives.