Chances are we’ve all been impacted in some way by mental illness, either personally, through a friend or a loved one. I’ve certainly felt the impact myself, by caring for countless patients over the years who are experiencing crisis and seeking care in the Emergency Department.
One in five U.S. adults experience a mental illness, and one in six U.S. youth (aged 6-17) experience a mental health disorder each year. In addition, more than one in 20 Americans experience a serious mental illness, which can reduce average life expectancy by as much as 10 years. Unfortunately, far too many of these patients go without treatment.
Behind these statistics are often painful stories of individuals battling depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder or one of several other mental illnesses. Each illness can impact our physical health, workplaces, communities, families and relationships.
America’s biopharmaceutical research companies are committed to realizing a future where patients aren’t overshadowed by the daily challenges of a mental illness.
- Today, a host of medicines are currently in development for treatment of a wide range of mental health conditions, including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance use disorder, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others.
- The R&D pipeline includes 54 potential new medicines for depression, 35 for schizophrenia, 35 for anxiety disorders, and 33 for substance use disorders.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first-ever oral treatment for post-partum depression, an area where there was significant unmet medical need.
While the science is incredibly promising, there’s more that can be done. As we observe Mental Health Awareness Month, there are steps that can be taken to drastically improve mental health in America.
- Change the conversation. People with mental health challenges often face social stigma or discrimination that can exacerbate an illness and delay recovery. On average it takes 11 years between the onset of a mental illness and the start of treatment. Instead of viewing mental illness as a source of weakness or shame, we need to build a culture that speaks more openly, compassionately and honestly about mental health and the role of treatment in helping people overcome an illness.
- Make treatments accessible. Access restrictions for mental health treatments have skyrocketed. A growing number of treatments are excluded from insurance coverage, leaving patients with fewer options. To that end, more than half of insured Americans who are managing a mental health condition still report facing a financial barrier to care, such as unaffordable out-of-pocket costs or a lack of savings to pay for emergency or unforeseen expenses. When people seek help, they should be able to get the medicines their doctors prescribe.
- Foster continued medical innovation. Unfortunately, short-sighted policies coming out of Washington are stifling innovation and disincentivizing the development of new medicines aimed at treating mental health disorders. The price setting provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act allow the government to set the prices of medicines. Even more problematic is the disparate treatment of small molecules, those that often come in pill or capsule form, when compared to other drugs subject to price setting under the IRA. This “pill penalty” allows the government to start the price setting process for small molecule medicines as early as seven years after they are first approved by the FDA. Notably, small molecule treatments are critical in the fight against mental illness because they can pass through the blood-brain barrier. We need to fix the pill penalty and protect future innovative treatments, including large molecule drugs.
If someone you know is experiencing anxiety, depression or some other mental illness, help is available. The National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine can connect individuals with trained volunteers by dialing 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or texting “HelpLine” to 62640.
During this month of national awareness, let’s rededicate ourselves to providing the hope and care that’s needed for all Americans to experience mental wellness.
