:dateline:Dr. Rajwant Singh, Chairman of the Sikh� Council on Religion and Education, and many prominent leaders across USA� were among those who gathered on� Monday at the White House for a� conference on mental health. This conference was part of the Obama� Administration�s effort to launch a national conversation to increase� understanding and awareness about mental health.
President Obama opened the event by describing how many people� �suffer in silence� rather than seeking help: We see it in the veterans who come� home from the battlefield with invisible wounds of war, but who feel like� seeking treatment is somehow a sign of weakness � when, in fact, it�s a sign of� strength. We see it in the parents who would do anything for their kids, but who� often fight their mental health battle alone � afraid that reaching out would� invite judgment or reflect badly on them. And we see it in tragedies that we� have the power to prevent.
With these remarks, the President launched the National Dialogue on� Mental Health, bringing together 150 mental health experts, a dozen members of� Congress, mental health advocates and patients, educators, health care� providers, faith leaders, lawmakers and local government officials from across� the country and celebrities like Glenn Close and Bradley Cooper.� Vice President Joe Biden closed the� conference.
The White House has also launched a website,�mentalhealth.gov, with� its tag line �Let�s talk about it.�
Cooper, who has been promoting mental health awareness since his� Oscar-nominated leading role as a man with bipolar disorder in last year�s� �Silver Linings Playbook,� Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki also� delivered remarks during the closing close the conference.
Close said Monday that her experience is �a family affair.� Her� sister, Jessie, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 51 and Jessie�s son,� Calen, was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at 19. In 2009, Close�s� family battles led her to help start a non-profit called Bring Change 2 Mind,� which produces public service announcements to fight the stigma and� discrimination associated with mental illness. She participated in the panel� discussion on how to address negative attitudes about mental� illness.
�We need people living with mental illness with the courage to say� this is what I am living with. I can talk about this,� Close� said.
Sikh Council on Religion and Education had brought together 20� community leaders and Sikh mental health professionals to join in a�conference� call�with the White House recently to engage the wider Sikh community across� US on this issue. SCORE is answering the President�s call to launch a national� conversation to increase the understanding and awareness about mental health by� organizing a national conference of Sikh leaders and mental health professionals� later this year. The attendees of the conference call included individuals who� are continuously counseling the families of the Oak Creek shooting victims and� other members of the community in Wisconsin.
Dr. Rajwant Singh said, �This issue is of vital importance to the� entire nation and Sikh community is a partner in furthering dialogue and� awareness about mental health. This issue affects all Americans and we are ready� to assist President Obama in this agenda.�
He continued, �We, as a faith community, have a duty to reach out� to all those who need help but are too often afraid to seek it because of the� shame and secrecy associated with mental illness. South Asian community leaders� ought to discuss how we can all work together to reduce stigma in our own� gurdwaras and temples.�
Obama had directed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen� Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan to launch this national dialogue on� mental health immediately after the Newtown, Conn. tragedy in December� 2012.� Sebelius hosted the panel on� addressing negative attitudes and Duncan moderated a session on successful� mental health outreach efforts during this conference at the White� House.
Noting that less than 40 percent of people with mental disorders� seek treatment, the President stressed the need to do a better job recognizing� mental health issues, especially in children. Acknowledging that we must ensure� that treatment is available, the President described how the Affordable Care Act� will expand mental health care to 60 million more Americans, and he detailed new� investments to increase the mental health workforce. He also noted how new� investments in science, including the BRAIN initiative, should bring better� treatments for those who need them.
The conference�s agenda was broad and it included discussion of� insurance coverage for mental health care and substance abuse, recognizing the� signs of mental illness in young people and improved access to services for� veterans. The overall goal for this national agenda is reducing the stigma of� mental health problems and encouraging those who are struggling to get� help.
The White House also plans to focus on commitments being made in� the private sector to increase understanding and awareness, including a campaign� by the National Association of Broadcasters through television and radio ads and� social media. Several organizations that work with young people also are� planning to make new commitments, including high school principals holding� mental health assemblies, to YMCA instructing staff and camp counselors to� recognize the signs of mental health issues in kids, to religious leaders� launching conversations on the issue.
The conference also plans to tout improvements in mental health� coverage under Obama�s health care law, including a ban beginning next year� against denying coverage to those who are mentally ill.
There were five short presentations focused on� successful outreach tactics on mental health. The presentations were designed to� help conference participants learn about creative and effective ways to reach� their own community, audience or membership about the issue of mental health.� Each of the presenters highlighted powerful techniques that could be� incorporated into efforts that combat stigma around mental illness and promote� action to help the millions of Americans who need assistance recognize the� importance of asking for it. Videos below to learn more about what each� presenter had to share. For more resources, visit�mentalhealth.gov.
