Dear PSA Director:
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that one in four adults will experience a mental health disorder in a given year. By 2020, major depressive illness will be the leading cause of disability in the world for women and children. Women In Government is asking you to help educate your listeners about ways to improve their quality of life by running the enclosed PSAs from one of your state’s legislators.
Without treatment, the consequences of mental health for the individual and society are staggering – disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, and wasted lives. Untreated mental illness in the US results in an average cost of 100 billion dollars annually. Common treatments for serious mental illnesses are highly effective. Between 70 and 90 percent of individuals have significant symptom relief and improved quality of life.
This year, in an effort to increase education, awareness, and funding for mental health throughout the United States, Women In Government, a non-profit, non-partisan organization of women state legislators, hosted our 18th Midwestern Regional Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At this conference, we asked women state legislators from across the nation to record public service announcements about the cost of untreated mental health disorders. This PSA campaign was only one of the latest steps in Women In Government’s efforts to promote mental health awareness.
Please support us in our continuing efforts to encourage mental health treatment awareness by airing this PSA and making your listeners aware that, with treatment, we can save healthcare dollars – and more importantly, lives.
To learn more, visit www.womeningovernment.org. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Marjorie Maginn
President & Executive Director
Women In Government
