The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library Presents Dr. Tom Insel - Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health
Tuesday, Nov 15, 2022 7:00 PM
Location:
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
441 John Lewis Freedom Parkway, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30307
"In this essential book, one of our most visionary leaders reveals that the solution demands a holistic approach. By reframing the mental health crisis as an opportunity for social justice, hopefully Tom Insel’s ideas will bring about long-needed progress toward a more inclusive, more compassionate, and healthier society. Healing is for every family dealing with a mental health issue, which today means nearly every family in the United States.” —Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in partnership with The Carter Center Mental Health Program and A Cappella Books welcome Dr. Tom Insel for a discussion of his book, “Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health.” The author will appear in conversation with NYT bestselling author Judith Warner.
This event is free and open to the public. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the venue. Masks are optional.
About the Book
As director of the National Institute of Mental Health, Dr. Thomas Insel was giving a presentation when the father of a boy with schizophrenia yelled from the back of the room, “Our house is on fire and you’re telling me about the chemistry of the paint! What are you doing to put out the fire?” Dr. Insel knew in his heart that the answer was not nearly enough. The gargantuan American mental health industry was not healing millions who were desperately in need. He left his position atop the mental health research world to investigate all that was broken—and what a better path to mental health might look like.
In the United States, we have treatments that work, but our system fails at every stage to deliver care well. Even before COVID, mental illness was claiming a life every eleven minutes by suicide. Quality of care varies widely, and much of the field lacks accountability. We focus on drug therapies for symptom reduction rather than on plans for long-term recovery. Care is often unaffordable and unavailable, particularly for those who need it most and are homeless or incarcerated. Where was the justice for the millions of Americans suffering from mental illness? Who was helping their families?
But Dr. Insel also found that we do have approaches that work, both in the U.S. and globally. Mental illnesses are medical problems, but he discovers that the cures for the crisis are not just medical, but social. This path to healing, built upon what he calls the three Ps (people, place, and purpose), is more straightforward than we might imagine. Dr. Insel offers a comprehensive plan for our failing system and for families trying to discern the way forward.
The fruit of a lifetime of expertise and a global quest for answers, “Healing” is a hopeful, actionable account and achievable vision for us all in this time of mental health crisis.
About the Author
Thomas lnsel, MD, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, has been a national leader in mental health research, policy, and technology. From 2002-2015, Dr. Insel served as Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). More recently, he led the Mental Health Team at Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences); co-founded Mindstrong Health, a digital mental health company for people with serious mental illness; and launched Humanest Care, a therapeutic online community for recovery. Since May of 2019, Dr. Insel has been a special advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom and Chair of the Board of the Steinberg Institute in Sacramento, California. Dr. Insel is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and has received numerous national and international awards including honorary degrees in the U.S. and Europe.
About the Conversation Partner
Judith Warner is the author of the New York Times bestsellers "Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety" and "Hillary Clinton: The Inside Story," as well as the multiple award-winning "We've Got Issues: Children and Parents in the Age of Medication." A senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, she has been a frequent contributor to the New York Times, where she wrote the popular Domestic Disturbances column, as well as numerous other publications.
