Mental health care continues to be atrocious, ineffective and disgraceful for most sufferers. People suffer unecessarily and are simply drugged into submission because they don't get the funds or the personal attention for truly individualized care that reflects the latest findings in research and what techniques work for what conditions. We're barely coming out of the dark ages here.

Development of more effective medications, though access to them is problematic for many people because of the high cost and inadequate insurance coverage.

I am a CPS where I received services for D&A and MH challenges. Life has never been so fulfilling and rewarding as it is for me today. The System Transformation has been a blessing to me and so many others. I have gone on to get my CRS certification and am now enrolled at CCP. I am also a Parent Support Specialist at the NET where my son received services. Today I have a voice and am heard!!!!!!

In San Bernardino County There is a program in which peer2peer advocates are guest speaker at the County Sheriffs Departments Training facility. I am a peer2peer advocate which speaks to Police Officers about my experiences with law enforcement and my views on how those encounters could have been handled in a safer more reasonable manner (if any). It is well recieved by all Police agencies in and around the Inland Empire area

Assertive care management & clinical services delivered in the community.

SAMHSA/CMHS implementation of the CMHI has truly reshaped community systems of care for young people with significant behavioral health challenges and their families. SAMHSA has stimulated, nurtured, evaluated, refined and supported implementation efforts in all 50 states, and continues to incorporate ongoing learning as those much stronger approaches, demonstrating measurable improvement in youth and family outcomes, are now in the process of expanding to full scale in many places.

Complete a marriage between medical care and bahavioral health. Allow wrap around services and less stigma on care, increase supports for the patient not stressors. Giving recommendations is one thing, provide training to medical professionals to better understand behavior and decrease judgement of it increases quality of care; lessens barriers and increases patient success.

Currently, when a person is having a psychotic episode and police intervention is needed to get that person to a hospital, the definition of "gravely disabled" is often misused, to avoid giving the person help. The definition was intended to get a person who can't make safe decisions hospitalized. Therefore, SAMHSA could help by making the definition include the notion of psychotic thought processes, irrational behavior, or making choices that would lead to self-harm.

I have been working in the substance abuse field over the past 12 years. I have seen the professional attitude of mental health professionals go from one of "punishment" to a more therapeutic approach of non-judgmental helpfulness. Some of the old guard in this field are still very aggressive toward the s/a client, but best practices are much improved.

The ability to try and prosecute crimes related to drugs in a court separate from other criminal court.

Parity law

Recognizing that Tribes are not the same as counties and allowing us to do what has been working for thousands of years. Culture is Prevention for our Native families!

Publication by ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) World Service Organization their basic text ADULT CHILDREN: ALCOHOLIC/DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES, and also TWELVE STEPS OF ADULT CHILDREN: STEPS WORKBOOK.