JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – “Nothing about us, without us.”
That’s the message that was shared Wednesday as organizations, advocacy groups, and people with lived experiences gathered for Mental Health and Well-Being Day at the Mississippi State Capitol.
According to the National Alliance for Mental Illnesses, 487,000 adults in Mississippi have a mental health condition.
These advocates are hoping to promote policies that support mental health recovery and lead to more responsive services.
And to do this, they said their voices should be included in drafting legislation surrounding mental health.
Joy Hogge, Executive Director of Families as Allies, shared why they believe this is important.
“It just makes sense to have everyone at the table to make sure services and support for people with mental illness are focused on what they want, and what people with mental illness want is the same thing that everyone else wants,” Hogge said. “They want to work, they want to live in the community, they want to do those things.”
They shared that they are thankful for the attention legislation gives to mental health, but they feel it’s time they be included in discussions.
“They haven’t had us at the table from the beginning informing legislation, so that was our big message today: nothing about us without us,” Hogge said. “Have us there from the very beginning so we can help you develop good policies and help you develop good legislation.”
Kay Daneault, Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of South Mississippi, added that making their voices heard can help to expand services to those that need it.
“People who have mental illness, they are moving forward; they are getting services when they can and there’s a lot of people who are doing well now, but there’s still a lot of people who are not having those services because they don’t have access for whatever reason,” Daneault said. “Whether they don’t have insurance or maybe they’re in a rural area where there’s not enough services and so being able to expand all of that.”
With their voices at the table, they believe a different perspective may prove to be more impactful in helping those with mental health conditions.
“The legislature, the government should be investing in all people and making sure that they get the care that they need and deserve,” said Kathleen Seeberg, Executive Director of NAMI Mississippi.
Advocates shared that including those with lived experiences is key in making policies work.
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