Ronni Margolin: Addressing mental illness

While Donald Trump was making headlines with his duplicitous trip to Mexico, Hillary Clinton courageously addressed an issue that too often is sidestepped: the mental health needs of our residents.

As a clinical psychologist who has worked in hospitals, in public agencies and in higher education, I have seen the devastating effects of continuous cuts to our mental health systems. Hospitals discharge patients who cannot find affordable, effective followup. Public agencies are overworked, understaffed and underfunded. College students struggle to maintain challenging academic demands while managing significant mental illnesses. College students, at least, often have access to care through counseling centers. (Many are able to seek help for the first time in college.)

National statistics suggest that more than half of today’s college students struggle with severe anxiety or depression; suicide has been either the first or second leading cause of death among college-age adults for years.

I have admired the courage and determination of young people who, despite serious illnesses and traumatic life experiences, continue to strive for better lives for themselves and their families.

Kudos to Clinton for speaking the unspoken truth: Mental illness affects us all, in more ways than we usually acknowledge.

This story was originally published September 17, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Ronni Margolin: Addressing mental illness."