Patrick J. Kennedy is a former US Congressman and one of the nation’s leading voices on mental illness and addiction policy, and the New York Times bestselling coauthor of A Common Struggle. During his sixteen years in Congress, he fought to end discrimination against mental health care, highlighted by lead sponsorship of the landmark Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Patrick is the son of former Senator Ted Kennedy and the nephew of former president, John F Kennedy. 

Today on the show we discuss: why it’s not surprising to Patrick that so many people are suffering from mental health issues, why kids specifically are having such a hard time in todays society, what you personally can do to prevent mental health issues, the changes our healthcare needs to make to help with prevention and reduce the risk of mental health problems, what parents can do to help their kids reduce their risk of addiction and severe mental health issues, what Patrick thinks about the current drug epidemic we are facing, his overall thoughts on how we can fix everything and much more.

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⚠ WELLNESS DISCLAIMER ⚠

Please be advised; the topics related to health and mental health in my content are for informational, discussion, and entertainment purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your health or mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your current condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard from your favorite creator, on social media, or shared within content you’ve consumed.

If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.

If you do not have a health professional who is able to assist you, use these resources to find help:

Emergency Medical Services—911

If the situation is potentially life-threatening, get immediate emergency assistance by calling 911, available 24 hours a day.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org. 

SAMHSA addiction and mental health treatment Referral Helpline, 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727) and https://www.samhsa.gov

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