SAMHSA Celebrates Behavioral Health Advances Over 20 Years
In 2012, SAMHSA is celebrating its 20th
birthday—and the progress the behavioral
health field has made in prevention,
treatment, and recovery. Since SAMHSA
was created in 1992, the behavioral
health field has changed dramatically. For
example, in 1992, many in the behavioral
health field didn’t believe that recovery
from mental and substance use disorders
was possible. Thanks to peer movements
launched by people in recovery themselves,
and supported by SAMHSA, today the vision
of recovery has become a national call to
action. Recovery is viewed as a process of
change through which individuals improve
their health and wellness, live a self-directed
life, and strive to reach their full potential.
In 1992, the field was struggling to develop
services and support in the community.
Today, there is a much broader array of
quality, community-based and peer support
services, stronger involvement of people in
recovery in systems change, and a strong
mission to improve existing programs. People
recovering from mental and substance use
disorders are also playing a central role in
their own care. Self-determination and shared
decision making between them and their
service providers are essential themes in
prevention and treatment efforts.
The field has seen important legislative
developments, too. The Paul Wellstone
and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity
and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, for
instance, now requires that services for
mental and substance use disorders be no
more restrictive than medical and surgical
benefits offered in the same plan. The Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act of 2010 expands health insurance
coverage to many Americans who are
currently uninsured and also promotes a
bi-directional integration of physical and
behavioral health in both primary care and
behavioral health specialty settings.
To see what your colleagues in the
behavioral health field view as the most
important research studies, promising
practices, legislative and court decisions,
and other milestones of the last two
decades, click here.
SAMHSA will use the comments to help
plan a celebration of behavioral health
accomplishments over the next year.