This week, pop star and mental health advocate, Demi Lovato, visited our nation’s capital to discuss mental health and call for reform during Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health’s annual “Hill Day”.
Lovato has partnered up with this organization as a spokesperson. During her visit to Washington D.C., she rallied Congress to support mental health reform. The reform is to include accessibility to treatment centers and increasing funding to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Demi Lovato’s own battle with mental illness makes her the perfect public figure for Be Vocal to partner with.
Anyone who has followed her career over the last few years has seen her struggle with and how she talks very candidly about mental health. In 2011, Lovato entered rehab for drug and alcohol addiction where she was then diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression. Ever since leaving rehab, she has made it her mission to raise awareness for mental illness. She is currently focusing on destigmatizing mental illness, which is frequently plagued with images of violence.
Issues surrounding mental health are a hot topic with the recent mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. The tragic shooting left 10 dead and 9 others injured. Politicians are torn as to whether the blame is to be put on the shooter’s mental well-being or on the frequently debated gun policies in this country.
When Lovato appeared on MSNBC’s Live with Tamron Hall to discuss her Capitol Hill appearance, she was asked about the correlation between mental illness and violence. “Unfortunately, we’ve had several instances where mental health has been brought to the attention by the media because of these tragedies,” said Lovato. She also pointed out that those suffering from mental illness are more likely to inflict harm on themselves rather than others. Demi notoriously self-harmed as a cause of her diagnoses.
Lovato describes mental illness as an “epidemic.” According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, 1 in 5 adults have suffered from some form of mental illness. That equates to 43.7 million American adults each year. Unfortunately, not all are diagnosed and many of those who are diagnosed do not get treatment. Mental illness never seems to get the coverage it deserves and needs. “If we don’t treat this like a physical illness, the problems aren’t going to be solved,” Lovato warns.
For more information and tips on how you can speak up for mental health, visit bevocalspeakup.com.