September 1, 2009
To the Editor of The Providence Journal:
In her August 30 column, Kennedy and American Royalism, Froma Harrop implies that Congressman Patrick Kennedy should be “disqualified” from the “responsibility” of serving in the U.S. House of Representative because of “his serial problems with drugs and alcohol.”
It is unfortunate, especially in this day and age, that someone as influential and learned as Ms. Harrop would still hold such views in relation to the problems of addiction and mental health issues. In fact, were we to use the same standard as Ms. Harrop and disqualify from public service those who are battling addiction and mental illness, our country and the world would have been denied the services of many of our most distinguished leaders including President Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill, who most historians agree battled depression.
It is now a widely held medical fact that addiction and mental illness are chronic diseases that, like other diseases, require ongoing medical attention. Far from being a disqualification from service, Congressman Patrick Kennedy’s willingness to seek treatment for his illness should be seen as an inspiration for the millions of Americans who struggle with these same issues.
In a very moving speech delivered at the funeral of his father Senator Edward Kennedy, Congressman Kennedy evoked the principles that served as the compass of his father’s life in talking about efforts to combat the stigma of treatment. “My father and I were the primary sponsors of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act which was signed into law last year. This bill represented not only a legal victory for 54 million Americans with mental illness who are being denied equal health insurance, but as one of those 54 million Americans, I felt he was also fighting for me to help ease the burden of stigma and shame that accompanies treatment.”
As one of Rhode Island’s largest behavioral health community treatment providers, The Providence Center’s staff and board of trustees sees firsthand the impact the stigma on treatment has on our clients. We also see firsthand the extraordinary accomplishments that our clients make once they begin the lifelong work of recovery. We invite Ms. Harrop to stop by anytime to meet our clients and see what a person in recovery can accomplish. If she is willing, I am sure that she, like those of us who work with people fighting addiction and mental illness, will understand that through recovery anything is possible. Congressman Kennedy’s very public battle for recovery should be an inspiration to us all and not a reason why he cannot serve.
Dale K. Klatzker, Ph.D.
Providence Center President/CEO
Jim Botvin
Chair, Providence Center Board of Trustees