Politico (3/6, Gibson) reports that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), along with Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), “introduced NRA-endorsed legislation Wednesday that would bar more people from buying guns due to mental illness.” The measure “would add people who plead not guilty by reason of insanity to the electronic background check system that determines if someone can purchase a gun. It adds a list of additional disqualifiers.”

Related Links:

— “Lindsey Graham gun bill targets mentally ill, “Ginger Gibson, Politico, March 6, 2013.

The Military Times (3/6, Maze) reported, “More than 31,000 discharges for service members diagnosed with personality or adjustment disorders would be reviewed to see if those troops actually suffered from post-traumatic stress, under” HR 975, “legislation introduced Tuesday by Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn.” The measure, called the “Servicemembers Mental Health Review Act of 2013, would require a review of discharges for personality and adjustment disorders for anyone separated from Sept. 11, 2001, through Dec. 31, 2014, when unfitness for duty was the cause.” Service members “discharged would be allowed to present evidence to the review board, including from at least one licensed psychologist and one licensed psychiatrist who have either never worked for the Defense Department or have not worked for DoD since at least Dec. 31, 2001.”

Related Links:

— “Bill would review discharges for possible PTSD, “Rick Maze, Military Times, March 6, 2013.

Politico (3/6, Cheney) reports that yesterday at a Politico Pro Deep Dive event, mental-health expert C. Edward Coffey, CEO of behavioral health services for the Henry Ford Health System, said that “it would take a ‘total redesign’ of the country’s health care delivery system to prevent suicide and combat mental illness.” Meanwhile, James Scully, MD, CEO of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), “argued that the problem is so severe that it calls for a ‘presidential commission.'”

Psychiatric News (3/6) reports, “The push to improve America’s mental health policy is facing plenty of obstacles on Capitol Hill, despite the recent clamor about the need for new mental health legislation in the wake of gun-law debates, members of a panel organized by Politico newspaper agreed in a public discussion (3/6)” on Tuesday. In addition to Dr. Scully and Dr. Coffey, “the panel consisted of… Philip Wang, MD, deputy director of the National Institute of Mental Health; and two members of Congress,” psychiatrist “Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) and Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.),” also a physician. Dr. Scully emphasized that “despite a well-documented need, access to high-quality, integrated care is lacking for many Americans.”

Related Links:

— “Experts see ‘fragmented’ mental health system, “Kyle Cheney, Politico, March 5, 2013.

The CBS Evening News (3/5, story 8, 3:15, Pelley) reported, “With a shortage of mental facilities jails have become the new asylums.” CBS correspondent John Miller explained, “The Department of Justice says up to 64% of inmates at local jails have some mental health problem. Using that DOJ statistic, the two largest jails in the United States, Cook County and LA County, would become two of the largest mental institutions in the country de facto.”

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (3/6, Mauriello) points out that witnesses at the forum “complained of long wait times for mental health services, social stigmas, lack of school counselors and the need for more mental health training for primary care physicians who often first see psychiatrically ill patients.

CQ (3/6, Subscription Publication) reports, parents can face significant barriers trying to get help for their adult children with mental illness. Sometimes commitment laws and HIPPA privacy restrictions make things more difficult for family trying to get treatment for their relatives with psychiatric illness.

The NBC News (3/5) “Vitals” blog reported that three parents who testified at the forum complained that doctors’ interpretations of HIPAA privacy laws prevented them from helping their children. Doctors, they said, feared sharing information with the parents for fear of violating privacy rules. And, they complained, too often they had no one to call but police when their children became violent.”

Related Links:

— “Congress addresses mental illness in wake of rampage, “Tracie Mauriello, Post-Gazette Washington Bureau, March 6, 2013.