THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

                  PRESIDENT CLINTON AND TIPPER GORE 
                        ANNOUNCE NEW CAMPAIGN 
           TO COMBAT THE STIGMAS SURROUNDING MENTAL ILLNESS 
         AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS TO GET HELP

                             June 5, 1999

Today, in a joint radio address, President Clinton and Tipper Gore will announce a new national campaign to eliminate the stigma of mental illness and encourage the millions of Americans with mental health needs to get help. The President and Mrs. Gore will discuss the myths surrounding mental illness and presented the real facts about these diseases. The President, Mrs. Gore, and others will continue this discussion on Monday as part of the first-ever White House Conference on Mental Health, chaired by Mrs. Gore, the President's Mental Health Advisor. Today, the President and Mrs. Gore will:

Announce National Campaign to Combat the Stigma of Mental Illness and Encourage Americans with Mental Health Needs to Get Help. The President and Mrs. Gore announced the launch this fall of a new nationwide campaign, with Mrs. Gore serving as the honorary chair, to dispel the myths surrounding mental illness and encourage those with mental illness to get help. This new nationwide campaign will be a public-private partnership, led by the Surgeon General and the Ad Council, which will involve a wide range of community organizations, media, and others. This campaign will draw from many of the issues raised at the White House Conference on Mental Health.

Unveil New Information to dispel the Myths of Mental Illness. The President and Mrs. Gore Contrasted the myths surrounding mental illness with the facts about these diseases:

• Myth: Mental illness is not a disease and cannot be treated. Fact: Mental illnesses are diagnosable disorders of the brain, and treatments are effective 60 to 80 percent of the time.
• Myth: Mental illness doesn't happen to people like my family or me. Fact: One in five Americans will suffer at some point from a mental illness. These Americans are from all backgrounds.
• Myth: Depression is a part of life that can be worked through without seeking treatment. Fact: Depression is a diagnosable treatable illness that affects 19 million adult Americans each year and is the leading cause of disability in the United States.
• Myth: Teenagers don't suffer from "real" mental illness; they are just moody. Fact: One in ten children and adolescents suffer from mental illness.
• Myth: Depression is a part of aging. Fact: Five million older Americans suffer from clinical depression; whereas older people comprise 13 percent of the population, they account for 20 percent of all suicides.
• Myth: Talk about suicide is an idle threat that need not be taken seriously. Fact: Research has shown that 90 percent of all suicide victims have had a mental or substance abuse disorder. People who admit to having thoughts and plans about suicide and people who have attempted suicide are at increased risk for completing suicide in the future.
• Myth: We cannot afford to treat mental disorders. Fact: States and businesses that have improved treatment of mental illness, including implementing parity, have not seen a major increase in costs.
• Myth: Mental health problems are really the result of poor parenting practices. Fact: Mental illnesses are biologically based illnesses, and generally have nothing to do with parenting.
• Myth: A homeless person suffering from mental illness has little chance of recovery. Fact: Research demonstrates a decrease in homelessness with an effective style of case management that connects the person with treatment for his disorder, as well as providing housing and other supportive services.
• Myth: There is no hope for people with mental illness. Fact: Mental illnesses are successfully treated at a higher rate than many other chronic illnesses.

Highlight the First-Ever White House Conference on Mental Health. These facts and myths of mental illness, and the White House's new nationwide campaign on this issue, will be discussed on Monday at the first-ever White House Conference on Mental Health, which will involve tens of thousands of Americans around the country at over 1,000 cites connected to the conference in Washington.