The Change Mariner

New Ways Sought to Treat Mentally Ill

Newsday.com

Care for the mentally ill must go beyond medication and managing symptoms to help people find jobs, go on dates and live productive lives, a presidential commission said Tuesday in a report that recommended a major overhaul of the nation's mental health system.

The report said Americans must be taught that mental illness is not shameful so that people will seek out screening and treatment. It said innovative treatments and ideas must get into the field as they are proven effective; today, promising ideas can linger for 15 years or more before moving into routine practice.