Patrick Kennedy on Autism,Mental Health, Addiction, and Political Change

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Patrick Kennedy shares his journey from Congressman to mental health advocate, revealing how his family history and personal struggles with addiction shaped his mission to transform America's approach to mental health care.

• Passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act by attaching it to the 2008 bank bailout bill

• Advocates for unifying mental health, addiction, and intellectual disability communities around shared needs

• Explains how our healthcare system focuses on "sick care" rather than prevention and community support

• Identifies how isolation and siloed treatment approaches fail those with co-occurring conditions

• Describes meeting colleagues in Congress who privately struggled with mental health but couldn't publicly acknowledge it

• Working with faith communities to create support networks for families affected by mental health challenges

• Emphasizes that housing stability and employment opportunities are essential components of recovery

• Founded the Kennedy Forum to build political power for mental health advocacy

• Promotes his book "Profiles in Mental Health Courage" featuring stories of individuals and families

Tell everyone everywhere about Why Not Me? The World, the conversations we're having and the inspiration our guests give to everyone everywhere that you are not alone in this world.

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The content on Why Not Me: Embracing Autism amd Mental Health Worldwide, including discussions on mental health, autism, and related topics, is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. 

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