[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CONTINUING TO STRENGTHEN OUR MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM

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                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 14, 2016

  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my thoughts on H.R. 
2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2016. I voted 
in favor of this bill on July 6 of this year because it is a step 
forward in improving the lives of many Americans affected by mental 
illness.
  I support numerous key provisions of H.R. 2646, including 
reauthorizing grant programs to promote efforts that curb suicide 
deaths and substance abuse, requiring the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration to develop a strategic plan to improve 
services for individuals with serious mental illness, and allowing 
Medicaid Managed Care coverage of certain stays in psychiatric 
hospitals and other treatment facilities.
  However, there remains much more work to be done in the mental health 
sphere. While H.R. 2646 addresses many of the pressing issues 
individuals affected by mental illness face, it misses the opportunity 
to address key areas that would greatly improve our mental health 
system.
  H.R. 2646 could be improved by placing more emphasis on the benefits 
of community integration for people with mental health illnesses in 
conjunction with treatment by a medical professional. While 
hospitalization may be critical for some patients, a multi-faceted 
approach to treatment that includes community engagement and peer 
support has proven to be more effective in the long-term treatment of 
patients with mental illness.
  I am also concerned by H.R. 2646's definition of ``anosognosia,'' 
which states that people with psychiatric conditions may be unable to 
make sound decisions regarding their own care because they lack 
reasoning and judgment. Evidence has shown that people with psychiatric 
disabilities make reasonable decisions about their care comparable to 
others with chronic health conditions. I fear that this definition may 
further stigmatize those living with mental illness and may jeopardize 
their privacy in making health care decisions for themselves.
  While this bill improves mental health services for people living 
with mental illness, I take exception to the Majority's premise that it 
in any way addresses the prevalence of gun violence. H.R. 2646 
conflates the ideas that reforming the mental health system is a means 
of reducing violent gun crimes, when in fact, it is a false and 
manufactured narrative that people with mental illness are more prone 
to violent behavior. The truth is that researchers have not found any 
correlation between psychiatric diagnoses and mass murder and people 
with mental illness are more likely to be victims of violence than 
perpetrators of violent crimes.
  I was pleased to vote in favor of H.R. 2646, as it marks an effort by 
this body to address our critically broken mental health system, but 
our priorities in this effort must remain focused on the health, 
security, and privacy of people living with mental illness. It is my 
hope that we will continue to improve upon this first step to guarantee 
that Americans with mental illness have access to effective mental 
health treatment while also remaining an integral part of our 
communities.

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