Posted on August 18, 2019
Washington Times
Mental health advocates chastised President Trump for saying the U.S. could fight gun violence by reopening institutions to keep “mentally deranged and dangerous” people off the streets, saying it could stigmatize patients. Others said focusing on people who have mental illness distracts from the issue at hand. “It’s easier to get a gun in the United States than it is to get mental health care,” said Angela Kimball, acting CEO of NAMI.
READ MOREPosted on August 16, 2019
CBS News
Reports that the president's insistence that mental illness is the cause of mass shootings has disconcerted mental health professionals who insist that most people with mental illness are nonviolent. These experts also say people afflicted with mental illness are more likely to be the victims of violent crime than the perpetrator, and fear the president's language only further stigmatizes those struggling with mental health issues. NAMI acting CEO Angela Kimball said the president "should be talking about better care and earlier access to intensive treatment, not revisiting the shameful institutions of our past." "Words matter, Mr. President. 'These people' are our friends, neighbors, children, spouses. They're not 'monsters,' 'the mentally ill' or 'crazy people' — they're us.
READ MOREPosted on August 16, 2019
USA Today
Reports that President Trump is calling for more mental health facilities to combat gun violence in the wake of deadly shootings in Texas and Ohio. "Talking about reinstitutionalization only further marginalizes and isolates the one in five people with mental illness," Angela Kimball, the acting CEO of NAMI, wrote in a statement. Closures of mental health facilities have been due to a variety of factors, Kimball said. Among them are reports of inadequate care, sub-par conditions and the development of new treatment methods that could address the mental health concerns of patients. Specifically, a shift toward community-based care was discovered, Kimball said in an interview with USA TODAY, responding to Trump's comments to reporters in New Jersey.
READ MOREPosted on August 16, 2019
CNBC
Reports that President Trump says the U.S. should begin building more mental health institutions to combat the nation’s ongoing gun violence. In response, the National Alliance on Mental Illness said the president “should be talking about better care and earlier access to intensive treatment, not revisiting the shameful institutions of our past.” “Words matter, Mr. President. ‘These people’ are our friends, neighbors, children, spouses. They’re not ‘monsters,’ ‘the mentally ill’ or ‘crazy people’ — they’re us,” acting CEO Angela Kimball said in a statement.
READ MOREPosted on August 7, 2019
Morning Consult
Reports on a new Morning Consult/Politico poll of 1,960 registered voters, 48% of voters are in agreement with Trump, placing “a lot” of blame on mental illness for mass shootings, while another 35% place “some.” Among the GOP electorate, roughly 3 in 5 Republicans place “a lot” of blame on mental illness for mass shootings — making it the No. 1 factor Republicans believe drive mass shootings. “In the U.S., it is easier to get a gun than it is to get mental health care,” said Angela Kimball, the acting CEO of NAMI.
READ MOREPosted on August 7, 2019
C-SPAN Washington Journal
Ron Honberg, Senior Policy Advisor, was on C-SPAN Washington Journal for a 30-minute segment on “Red Flag” laws that included call-in questions from the public. Ron talked about the fact that people with mental illness are more often the victims of violence than the perpetrators. He discussed how the rhetoric around mass shootings and mental illness is damaging and the importance of reducing stigma and discrimination around mental illness.
READ MOREPosted on August 6, 2019
Newsweek
Reports that while Trump has attempted to link mass shootings to mental health issues, he has simultaneously proposed budgets that would strip hundreds of billions from Medicaid. Medicaid is "the most critical part of any conversation about mental health care," Jennifer Snow, the acting National Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at NAMI, told Newsweek. "It's the nation's largest payer for mental health and substance abuse services." Trump's proposed FY2020 request sought to add $115 million to SAMHSA. But this proposal merely increased funding "by pennies toward SAMHSA while gutting Medicaid," Snow said.
READ MOREPosted on August 6, 2019
CNBC
In response to the president’s remarks, the National Alliance on Mental Illness said the statements were “contrary and only serve to perpetuate stigma and distract from the real issues.” “In the U.S., it is easier to get a gun than it is to get mental health care,” Acting CEO Angela Kimball said in a statement. “We need to flip the script. It should be easy—not hard—for people to get the mental health care they need.”
READ MOREPosted on August 5, 2019
Washington Post
Mental health advocates say comments such as Trump’s labeling shooters as “mentally ill monsters” can exacerbate false stereotypes about the mentally ill. “When you blame people with mental illness for things like mass shootings, it’s not just untrue,” said Angela Kimball, head of NAMI. “It keeps people from seeking help even when they need it. It spreads unjustified fears about the mentally ill and worsens the stigma around it."
READ MOREPosted on July 30, 2019
Variety
Features NAMI in the list of 50 Impactful Charities and highlights that NAMI offers classes and training for people living with mental illnesses, their families and community members. “I have several family members who suffer from and live with mental illness,” says actor-producer Sterling K. Brown. “From anxiety to bipolar to schizophrenia, the profound level of sadness these unseen wounds can cause is tremendous. NAMI is all about destroying stigma, and creating empathy for the mentally ill.”
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NAMI HelpLine is available M-F, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET. Call 800-950-6264,
text “helpline” to 62640, or chat online. In a crisis, call or text 988 (24/7).
