GOP focuses on mental health after Colo. shooting
WASHINGTON — In the wake of Friday's shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, House Republicans are again turning their attention to legislation overhauling the nation's mental health system, saying it should be a priority to provide better care for people in crisis.
Mental illness is clearly a factor in mass shootings, said Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
"One common denominator in these tragedies is mental illness," Ryan said. "That's why we need to look at fixing our nation's mental illness health systems," Ryan said.
He cited a bill being developed by Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Penn., that would dramatically reshape the mental health care system, including replacing the agency that runs most federal programs, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Murphy's bill — which has had some Democratic support — would also reduce barriers for caregivers to provide information with parents or guardians of their patients, and would boost support for "assisted outpatient treatment" for patients with severe mental illness. AOT is basically a court-ordered treatment regimen, with court-imposed penalties for non-compliance.
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Mental illness causes tens of thousands of death a year through suicide, drug overdoses, and a range of ailments that afflict homeless people with mental illness, Murphy told USA TODAY Tuesday.
"For the longest time these people and these families lived in that shadows and Congress like the rest of the country ignored them," Murphy said.
The need to change the mental health system "is not about the shootings," Murphy said, "but if that's what gets people's attention, gets them to wake up, maybe (the victims) will not have died in vain." Murphy was a psychologist before being elected to Congress and is co-chair of its Mental Health Caucus.
Some mental health advocates, however, say illness is not the main cause of mass shootings and that the proposed House bill just worsens the stigma against mental illness. Reforming mental health care should not be used as a diversion to avoid dealing with gun control, said Leah Harris of the Campaign for Real Change in Mental Health Policy.
"Using mass shootings as a rationale for mental health reform is completely misguided and inaccurate," Harris said. "Mental illness counts for such a small fraction" of the causes of mass shootings. And Harris pointed to research that metal health advocates repeat regularly: That people with mental illnesses are no more likely to commit violence than their peers, but are more likely to be victims of violence.
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A subcommittee vote on Murphy's bill in November turned contentious as Democrats argued that their proposals for amending the bill were ignored, but Murphy said he is continuing to meet with Democrats to work out agreements on the language. A key sticking point is what he calls "compassionate communication" — allowing medical professionals to communicate with family members about a patient's treatment when the patient is deemed incompetent.
However, compassionate communication may "keep people away from the mental health system because they don't want their family members or friends to know" about their illness, said Mike Bachhuber of the National Council on Independent Living.
Rep. Gene Green of Texas, the top Democrat on the subcommittee, said members of both parties want a mental health bill. He and Murphy will meet this week, Green said, to discuss key parts of the bill, including how to avoid having increased spending on mental health come at the expense of substance abuse treatment.
With Congress scheduled to adjourn Dec. 18, there is no realistic expectation that a mental health bill could move before the holidays, but Ryan's endorsement does suggest it may be a priority next year.