(May 24, 2017) Policymakers have the power to help eliminate barriers to treatment of serious mental illness, however sometimes they do not have the tools necessary to help them know what to do next. The Treatment Advocacy Center has a webpage full of resources for policymakers in order to do just that.
The first thing a policymaker can do is learn about the current laws in their state and understand where their state ranks in terms of bed availability, incarceration and other aspects that affect those with serious mental illness.
It is also incredibly helpful for lawmakers to know about serious mental illness as a whole, and how it affects the population, especially bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
If you know a policymaker who would be interested in learning more about the mental health policies that have failed to keep up with medical research or ignore the realities of severe mental illness and the consequences of non-treatment, then let them know that they can fix the system and the Treatment Advocacy Center has the resources to help them.