“In order to keep somebody healthy, you might have to treat their brain and the rest of their body together,” Murphy said in a phone interview. “That means that when you walk into a community health center, and you present with a behavioral health issue, you shouldn’t be sent offsite.” Sen. Murphy is backed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which awarded him the Allies in Action Congressional Award last month for his work in preventing suicide, the second leading cause of death in Connecticut for those ages 25-34. Dr. John Murphy, president of Danbury Hospital — and yet another mental health advocate who shares the senator’s last name — said hospitals often “lose patients to follow-up” this way. “What happens typically today is that we recognize that maybe somebody is depressed, you give them a piece of paper and say we’d like you to make an appointment, and it’s six weeks from now,” Dr. Murphy said. “We may have lost the opportunity for meaningful intervention.”
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Source: CT Post by By Tatiana Cirisano | on July 1, 2015
Image Source: Ned Gerard / File Photo
