Your Health

New Treatments On The Horizon For Mental Health Disorders

Posted 9/17/2010

Many medicines are now being tested or reviewed that may offer new hope to those affected by a mental health disorder.

(NAPSI) - There is good news for the more than 300 million patients worldwide now suffering from mental health disorders. A new report finds that scientists and researchers are working on a record 313 new medicines to help treat mental disorders.

The report, recently released by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), found that many of these medicines, developed by America's biopharmaceutical research companies, are now being tested for patient use or are under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

With more than 60 million Americans suffering from a mental disorder, researchers are working hard to find new medicines that can help them lead healthier, more productive lives. The problem of mental health among minority populations is a particular concern. Although minorities in the U.S. have similar rates of most mental illness as whites, minorities are less likely to seek and obtain quality treatment, according to research by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

One important reason, studies show, is a combination of cultural beliefs and a lack of information about mental illness and how it can be treated that results in increased stigmas associated with mental health disorders. Minorities that do seek treatment are also more likely to encounter access barriers, including a lack of health insurance.

Mental illness can come in many different forms and affect patients in different ways. For example, four-time World Series champion and legendary Major League Baseball slugger Darryl Strawberry struggled with mental illness as he battled a potentially deadly form of cancer.

"As a two-time colon cancer survivor, I know firsthand the hope that new medicines provide," says Strawberry. "At the same time, my fight against cancer led me to experience depression and anxiety. My message to people battling cancer, mental illness or any other disease is simple: 'Don't ever give up. There will be some long, difficult days that you'll have to walk through but there is hope. Keep your head up.'"

For more information on the more than 300 new medicines now being developed to help treat mental illness, visit www.phrma.org. If you are uninsured and need help paying for your medicines, help may be available from patient assistance programs participating in the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA). For more information on PPA, visit www.pparx.org or call (888) 4PPA-NOW.