FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
9605 Medical Center Drive, Suite 280
Rockville, MD 20854
Contact: Sandra Spencer, Executive Director
240-403-1901
MENTAL HEALTH CARE IS EVERYONE’S JOB
The National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health Speaks Out About Mental Health, Violence and Offers Resources to Those in Need
Rockville, MD, December 18, 2012 – Like everyone in the nation, the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, a family-driven organization dedicated to being the national voice for children’s mental health is saddened by the unimaginable atrocity that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.
As the nation grieves and moves to recover from this awful tragedy, parents from the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health want to dispel the misconceptions about children and youth with mental health diagnosis. Mental health issues in children are treatable. With meaningful and consistent care these children thrive when given access to services, support for their parents, youth peer support and a community free from stigma and discrimination. Children’s mental health is a public health issue because of the current rate of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders among children and youth and the broken system that fails to meet their needs. The lack of services and supports has immense negative consequences for families and communities. Mental Illness and disorders affect 1 in 5 children between the ages of 6 to 17 during the course of a year and seventy nine percent of them do not receive mental health care.
In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the nation must address the mental health crisis of children and young adults. Schools, health care providers and community organization need to make mental health checkup as routine as dental and physical health checkups and provide meaningful and consistent care. Our Nation needs to normalize mental health care so that stigma and the fear of parent blame is no longer a deterrent to families asking for and seeking help. Parents need support from other parents who have lived this experience so they feel comfortable seeking help. Youth need peer support who will direct them to help when they feel they need support without shame. I am pleased to hear President Obama speak of his commitment to engage citizens, law enforcement, mental health professionals, parents and educators in an effort aimed at preventing future tragedies. We must be proactive and rally to halt the millions in cuts to government funded mental health care that rapidly dismantle current systems of care for our young people that struggle to find meaningful help.
We are the people the media needs to be talking to, the parents and caregivers with lived experienced. The National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health has a network of family-run organization with parents and youth with lived experience. If you or someone you know needs assistance, contact the National Federation at 240-403-1901 or visit our web site to find a chapter in your community at www.ffcmh.org. Visit our About Us page for more information on our mission. For more information or to schedule an interview with Sandra Spencer, please contact Nicole Marshall, Project & Logistics Manager at 240-406-1492 or nmarshall@ffcmh.org.
