"Despite the mandates of the 1996 Mental Health Parity Act, our mental health systems are plagued with barriers to equal access and treatment for persons with mental illness. Factors contributing to the dilemma include the fragile safety net of local and state programs; lack of adequate insurance coverage for mental health; limited access to and utilization of quality mental health services; high costs of psychotropic medications, psychotherapeutic treatments, and behavioral rehabilitation; poor coordination of mental health services with primary health care; limited integration of services for co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders; lack of attention to the specific needs of vulnerable populations; and a dearth of mental health professionals who are members of racial/ethnic minorities."

Kisha Braithwaite

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Community Voices, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, G