APA Remembers the Mental Health Legacy of Rosalynn Carter

APAreleased a statement today commemorating the life and legacy of Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 96. Throughout her public service career, Mrs. Carter worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for people with mental illness and substance use disorders. (In the photo at left, she speaks at a special luncheon at APA ’s 1985 Annual Meeting.)“Few, if any, other Americans have been able to accomplish what she did for the cause of mental health,” APA’s statement reads. “She used her bully pulpit to bring the conversation about mental health out from the darkness and advocate for a more comprehensive system of care.”Years before her husband, Jimmy Carter, was elected president of the United States, Mrs. Carter began seeking ways to support people living with mental illness and their families (seeRosalynn Carter ' s Leadership in Mental Health). As the first lady of Georgia, she served on her husband ’s commission to improve the state’s mental health services. While in the White House, she served on the Presidential Commission on Mental Health, eventually helping to bring about the passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980, which provided grants for community health centers.The former first lady continued to advocate for mental health long after departing the White House in early 1981 (seeMental Health Program). From 1985 through 2016, Mrs. Carter held theRosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy at Th...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: advocate First Lady Jimmy Carter journalism mental health mental health policy parity Rosalynn Carter stigma The Carter Center Source Type: research