What’s Your Mental Health Care Wish for 2016?

We asked and you responded! Here are some of the great answers we received; please add your wish in the comments below. Let us know what you think!

I wish that more companies come to understand the incredible opportunity they have to reduce stigma and help people access needed treatment for mental illnesses.
Clare Miller, director of the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, APA Foundation

My wish is that funding be provided for direct services on suicide prevention and intervention coupled with training. We spend far too much money on research in this area.
Donna Holland Barnes, PhD, PCC, Associate Professor, Howard University and Founder of NOPCAS, Inc.

My wish is for emergency departments to better identify individuals at risk for suicide, intervene,and save lives. We know that 39 percent of people who die by suicide have been seen in an ED just months prior to their death, many for reasons other than suicidal ideation. More attention in the ED to mental health in 2016 would be a ‘wish come true.’
Bob Gebbia, CEO, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

That policy makers, the news media and other opinion leaders will continue to recognize and support the important role that family members play as the first-line caregivers for loved ones with mental health issues.
Marlin Collingwood, Executive Director, Families for Depression Awareness

I wish that more people will realize that seeking mental health services is just as vital and acceptable as treating cavities and broken limbs. No part of our health needs to be entirely in our own hands. When we seek professional help for any kind of illness it’s a gift to ourselves and others.
Grace O’Donnell, Director of Elder Services, Framingham

My wish for 2016 is that we see greater understanding and use of peer support and peer support services, which are evidence-based practices with the transformative power that only someone who’s “been there” can really provide. For we who have experienced mental health conditions and achieved wellness know that, rather than focusing on deficits, weaknesses, and symptoms, when we focus on building upon strengths and resiliencies, we create the right environment for self-directed care that people will stick with and from which they will truly achieve lasting positive change.
Allen Doederlein, President, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

My goal is to be happy and not need meds anymore.
Emily

I wish that all mental health caregivers have the courage to think and step outside the box when dealing with those who suffer. I credit my recovery to those caregivers who were flexible about boundaries and brave enough to really care.
Mary Esther, suicide attempt survivor

That the world will start treating chronic and recurrent depression with the integrated, open-ended approach it needs.
David

My 2016 mental health care wish is for competent and accessible mental healthcare for ALL. All races, all genders, all sexualities, everyone.
Brittany, MSW Student

My wish is for a system of care that provides for the accurate detection of mental suffering and universal availability of effective treatment for all in need of that care.
Michael Tsappis, M.D., Attending Psychiatrist, Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital

The people will get the care that they need to live productive lives again.  In addition, companies will continue to seek out alternative care for physical and mental well-being.
Tracy Honkonen, DBSA Florida Grassroots Organization (“GO”)

DNA testing is part of the initial intake to determine which medications may be appropriate for the individual.
WMWW – Which Meds Won’t Work

Reduce the stigma that hinders advancement of wellness. When stigma is eradicated more people will seek treatment, funding for research and treatment will increase, and support for whole health will be fulfilled.
Phyllis Foxworth, Advocacy Vice President, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

That we see mental health care being integrated into primary care practice as one way to improve access and delivery and to reduce the stigma associated with mental health.
Susan Weinstein, Program Director, Families for Depression Awareness

My wish is that our policy leaders have the insight to put in place a mental health system that will change the trajectories of lives for the better – and that B4Stage4 thinking will be a key part of it.
Paul Gionfriddo, Mental Health America

Your Turn

• What’s Your Mental Health Wish for 2016?

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