| Alcohol or drug abuse affects 25 million | | | | "mentally ill." Or what about one of |
| Americans; only four million get treatment | | | | America's most famous, prolific and |
| The need in this country for increased | | | | successful writers who for decades was either |
| insurance coverage for alcohol and drug | | | | drunk or wired on cocaine, Xanax, Valium, |
| addiction treatment is indisputable. Drug | | | | NyQuil, cough medicines, or marijuana? Was |
| rehab and drug detox have little or no | | | | Stephen King "mentally ill" when he wrote |
| recognition among health insurers, yet drug | | | | several intricately plotted, best-seller |
| addiction is a major cause of ruined lives, | | | | blockbuster novels? We never heard anything |
| family violence, emergency room visits, and | | | | about "mental illness" when King went into |
| death. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, | | | | drug rehab in the 1980s. And he's been sober |
| alcohol and drug addiction also cost America | | | | ever since. And let's not forget that Sigmund |
| $77 billion each year in lost productivity. | | | | Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was a |
| Clearly something needs to be done to make it | | | | habitual cocaine abuser who sang the drug's |
| easier for addicts to get alcohol and drug | | | | praises for years to anyone who would listen. |
| rehab. But the question that leaps out when | | | | After a friend died of an overdose, he |
| one reads the Paul Wellstone Mental Health | | | | abruptly gave it up and quit promoting it - |
| Equitable Treatment Act, H.R. 1402, is this: | | | | not the action one expects from someone who |
| is substance abuse and addiction "mental | | | | is "mentally ill". The so-called "mental |
| illness"? The proposed "Wellstone bill", H.R. | | | | health parity" bills such as the Wellstone |
| 1402, would require insurance companies to | | | | bill have always failed to pass - and there's |
| treat "addiction and other mental health | | | | been a lot of attempts over the decades. |
| disorders" on an equal basis with other | | | | Aside from the huge lobbying efforts against |
| chronic diseases, such as diabetes or | | | | it by the insurance industry, perhaps people |
| hypertension. The Wellstone bill is being | | | | also feel deep down that substance abuse and |
| sponsored by U.S. Reps. Patrick Kennedy | | | | mental illness are not the same thing at all |
| (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-Minn). Kennedy has | | | | and do not belong together in a such a bill. |
| said that we should ". . . end the | | | | The "mental health industry", as it's known |
| discrimination against those with mental | | | | today, receives billions of tax dollars every |
| health and substance abuse disorders." And | | | | year in grants and other forms of support. In |
| Ramstad said Congress should ". . . end the | | | | comparison, appropriations for alcohol and |
| discrimination against people with mental | | | | drug rehab are a drop in the bucket. Yet |
| illness and chemical dependency." Where is | | | | untreated dependency and addiction are |
| this idea coming from that people with | | | | costing us $77billion in lost productivity - |
| schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are in the | | | | more than heart disease, diabetes and cancer |
| same category as alcohol or drug abuse, | | | | combined, and far more than "mental illness." |
| including those inadvertently got hooked on | | | | According to the Substance Abuse and Mental |
| addictive prescription drugs. Is it possible | | | | Health Services Administration, nearly 25 |
| that they are not mentally ill - that they | | | | million Americans suffer from a substance |
| simply need drug detox and drug rehab? For | | | | abuse problem. And less than four million of |
| example, was Justice William H. Rhenquist of | | | | these victims receive the drug rehab they |
| the Supreme Court "mentally ill" because he | | | | need. If we really want to do something about |
| was hooked on powerful painkillers for a | | | | this situation, we need to separate these two |
| decade before he entered drug rehab? You'd | | | | issues and get each of them into their own |
| have a tough time convincing college law | | | | proposed legislation. That way we may have a |
| professors or anyone on the Supreme Court | | | | better chance to get the insurance industry |
| that we should go back and cancel 10 years of | | | | up to speed on helping the millions of |
| brilliant and insightful decisions and | | | | Americans who are not mentally ill, and who |
| opinions - the ones that later got Rhenquist | | | | too often need financial help getting into |
| appointed Chief Justice - because he was | | | | and through a successful drug rehab program. |