Hannah Wesolowski, NAMI CAO, sees the rising prominence of mental health issues as an inevitable result of the record number of Americans dealing with conditions like depression and anxiety. “We know now, more than ever, that people need care,” Wesolowski said. “The conversations for better or worse show that there's recognition that we have to do something. We cannot sit by and wait.” Presidential candidates are addressing the issue, Wesolowski said, “because they know if they don't address it, we're going to face a tsunami of mental health consequences in the future.” Still, while conversations around mental health are gaining prominence, Wesolowski expressed concern that increasing calls for institutionalization of people with mental illness by some candidates in the 2024 race could stymie progress and could further stigmatize those with mental health conditions. “We can't just focus on locking people up or talking about people as if they are some other population. They’re friends, they’re neighbors, they're our spouses, our children,” Wesolowski said, arguing that efforts to re-institutionalize people serves as a “misinterpretation of what is needed.”
