Vice President Joe Biden spoke at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston on Wednesday evening as part of The Kennedy Forum’s event commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Community Mental Health Act.
The Vice President was there to reaffirm the Administration’s commitment to increasing access to mental health and substance abuse treatments, eliminating the stigma surrounding mental illness, and supporting research to better understand the functioning of the human brain.
He highlighted a recent proposal by the Obama Administration to dedicate $100 million to jump start an initiative to map the human brain.
“It’s truly amazing what we don’t know, and it’s even more astounding what we might learn.”
The Vice President also stressed the need for continuing a national effort to eliminate stigma surrounding mental illness:
“There are treatments and therapies available to help those suffering from mental illness and substance abuse that go unused. Too many people in this country still suffer silently. Too many mental health problems, for which there are treatments, are left untreated.”
Fonte: White House