These incidents serve as a reminder that mental health is so important, not just for the individual, but for society. The Affordable Care Act required insurance companies to cover mental health in the same manner as physical health is covered. However, assuming an individual has insurance (and no, it is not yet an easy thing for everyone to have insurance), it can be very difficult to actually use mental health benefits. My S’s HMO has way too many hoops for a person with anxiety to jump through to get approval for counseling. I feel like it would cost society so much less, in so many ways, to make it much easier to ask for and get mental health assistance. Small problems become overwhelming over time when help is unavailable. Of course, this won’t be a cure-all, but it could help some situations from getting out of control. Some mental health problems are much more complex, for sure. Which brings me to a subject that is political, so I won’t give my two cents on that …
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In 2003 RI had a terrible tragedy called the Station Nightclub Fire. Over 100 people died in a fire due to indoor pyrotechnics setting the building ablaze. As a result, in RI, prior to any indoor public event (like concerts, theater, sporting events) an announcement is made asking patrons to look around their surroundings and decide how they would get out if they had to. Sobering, but necessary.
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And a damn good idea.
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