“I want you to imagine for a moment what it would be like if Americans treated cancer in a different way than we do now. Imagine that instead of encouraging people to quit smoking and take other steps to prevent cancer, we just sort of crossed our fingers. Instead of telling people they need to get regular screenings, we waited until the illness had progressed to a more noticeable and less treatable stage. Imagine that once we knew someone had cancer, we told them they did not really need treatment until they are in imminent danger of dying. Then, imagine we took away that person’s civil rights in order to administer chemotherapy, or even worse, lock them up in jail to get care after their cancer already had reached Stage 4. You can stop imagining that nightmare scenario, but for many people this approach to health care is a reality. Tragically, what I just described is the way we treat millions of Americans who experience mental illnesses.”
Source: Coloradostatesman.com By Don Mares
Image Source: Mental Health America (MHA)
