April 30, 2002
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

 Dear President Bush:

On behalf of the millions of Americans living with mood disorders, we applaud your plan to create a national mental health commission and support mental health parity for the one-in-five Americans living with mental illness.

The National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association (National DMDA) fully supports your commitment to erode the stigma surrounding mental illness and believes this initiative is an important step forward for the 25 million Americans living with Depression or Manic Depression (also known as bipolar disorder), their families, friends, employers and coworkers.

We are encouraged by your leadership and join you in this effort to remove the stigma of mental illness and give those who suffer from the illness "the treatment, and the respect, they deserve." Your call to action encourages the mental health community to openly discuss these illnesses and the impact they have on our lives and, will help to break down the stigma and roadblocks to understanding and acceptance.

Early and consistent medical intervention can make a substantial difference in the devastation mental illnesses can cause in people’s lives. Surveys show that more than half of people living with depression or bipolar disorder are ashamed, embarrassed and/or angry that they have these medical illnesses. This embarrassment, a direct result of stigma, can cause people to avoid seeking treatment.

Once treatment is finally sought, 87 % of U.S. employer (health care insurance) plans contained at least one or more restrictive provisions for mental health benefits. Most prevalent are restrictions on the number of outpatient office visits and hospital day limits, with nearly two thirds of compliant employer plans having lower limits for mental health than for medical and surgical. Therefore, we actively support the Mental Health Parity legislation that would require employer health plans to treat mental illness the same as other ailments. Our fight for Mental Health Parity is a great battle – one that is not unlike the fight against mood disorders that thousands of National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association constituents and their friends wage everyday. And we are so thankful that you have joined us in this battle!

Lastly, we are elated over the appointment of Michael Hogan, a well-respected consensus builder, to head this effort. National DMDA is confident that Mr. Hogan will provide the leadership needed to move forward with the important work of the Mental Health Commission.

Your leadership is greatly appreciated and an inspiration to all of us.

Sincerely,

Lydia Lewis
Executive Director
National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association