In the wake of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn. last week, most Americans say they want something done to prevent such tragedies—and most favor emphasizing mental health issues, according to a new Rasmussen poll.
Of 1,000 respondents in the telephone poll, 48 percent believe more action to treat mental health issues will do the most to prevent similar incidents. That's significantly higher than the percentage of Americans who think stricter gun control laws will do the most to prevent such shootings (27 percent). Another 15 percent put the emphasis on limits on violent movies and video games, while 10 percent are undecided.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about one in four American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.
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The Patient Protection and Affordable puts mental health more in focus. Health reform mandates coverage parity, putting mental health treatment on par with medical care, which means deductibles, copayments and doctor visits can't be more restrictive for mental illnesses than medical and surgical coverage.
Mental health advocates praise the changes.
"I would say no single piece of legislation has had as much of a potential impact on the lives of people with mental illness as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," says Bill Emmet, a mental health advocate who works as a consultant and senior policy advisor in Los Angeles.
"The end of restrictions on coverage of people with pre-existing conditions will have a disproportionate benefit for people with mental illnesses, resulting not only in greater access to care for their mental health disorders, but—more important—in better overall health, as many will have access to health insurance for the first time," he says.
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