Mental Health

Democratic campaign officials demanded that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) apologize Tuesday after a secret tape revealed that his campaign considered attacking a potential opponent's struggle with depression.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) blasted the Senate Republican leader after Mother Jones published audio of a private strategy meeting in which a McConnell aide criticized actress Ashley Judd as "emotionally unbalanced."

"It is beneath the office of Minority Leader to engage in this kind of trivial politics," said DSCC Executive Director Guy Cecil in a statement. "[McConnell] should apologize to the millions of Americans who suffer from depression and don't believe it’s a laughing matter." 

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Patients with substance-abuse issues are still paying more for in-patient treatment than others who seek hospital care, according to a new study.

The Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI), a research group, found the average hospital admission for substance-abuse treatment cost patients $889 in 2011, or 12 percent of the treatment's total cost.

This out-of-pocket figure was 8 percent higher than what patients paid for an average medical or surgical hospital admission and 2 percent higher than the cost of a mental-health admission. 

SPOTTED: Los Angeles Lakers star Metta World Peace outside the Capitol on a sunny Friday to support Rep. Grace Napolitano’s (D-Calif.) push for the Mental Health in Schools Act.

The outspoken athlete posed for photos with the noticeably shorter congresswoman and was seen speaking with school-age children. Mr. World Peace (as a press release about the event referred to him) was seen smiling as he chatted with Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.).

A group of congressmen have reintroduced a bill aimed at tamping down on meth addiction.

The Methamphetamine Education, Treatment, and Hope Act would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to take charge on the screening and treatment of those addicted to methamphetamine and award grants to drug treatment centers in underserved or rural areas. 

The sponsors, Reps. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), are asking the department to develop programs that specifically help pregnant women and mothers battle addiction, as well as other programs that provide educational materials to prevent addition in youth.  

The Obama administration is planning a national campaign to encourage the discussion of mental health issues in light of recent mass shootings.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan will lead the effort, which will begin within weeks, Sebelius said Tuesday.

"There is no question that the recent tragedy in Newtown broke the hearts of the nation," Sebelius told a medical conference in Washington, D.C. "But it also gives us an opportunity to address some important issues that have gone unaddressed for too long." 

Vice President Biden met with actor Bradley Cooper and director David Russell on Thursday to discuss mental health issues.

Biden's office tweeted out a photo of the meeting with "Silver Linings Playbook" star and director, noting: "VP Biden, Russell & Cooper agree on the importance of acceptance, understanding, and access to treatment for those with mental illness."

In the film, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, Cooper plays a man with a bipolar disorder trying to get his life back together. He was nominated for Best Actor. Russell was nominated for Best Director.

Lawmakers point out that some of Obama's proposals on gun violence were made in 2007 following the Virginia Tech massacre.

A bipartisan group of senators partnered with David O. Russell, director of Silver Linings Playbook, to announce a mental health bill that would strengthen treatment options at the community level.

The measure is Congress's latest response to mass shootings in Colorado, Connecticut and other places. The killings have sparked debate on improving the U.S. mental health system and ending the stigma of psychological illness.

The Excellence in Mental Health Act would expand access to federally qualified mental health centers and order the facilities to offer a standard range of services, including support for families and 24-hour crisis care.