Like any other health condition, mental health challenges only worsen when left untreated. There is probably not a family in the U.S. unaffected by mental illness, be it depression, anxiety, PTSD or substance abuse. These are all treatable conditions, and with the right care, people can live full and robust lives. Without access to care, we lose far too many.
We're all hurt when there are more struggling people in our communities. The people most immediately hurt will be low-income, children, older adults, and people with chronic diseases and disabilities. Rural and communities of color are also unfairly impacted by Medicaid and other healthcare cuts. But we'll all be affected, as there will be cascading effects into every family, every emergency room, every community.
We have made so much progress understanding, destigmatizing and treating mental illness, and we have so much to be proud of. Now more than ever, we need policies that strengthen, not weaken, access to mental health services for everyone.