New HopeForTreating A Common Condition (NAPSA)}—There maybe encouraging newsfor the millions of Americans who now suffer from some form of mentalillness. A newly released report shows that a record 301 medicinesare currently being developed in the U.S. to help ease the devastating impact that mental illnesses have on patients, their families andsociety. According to the NationalInstitute of Mental Health (NIMH), nearly 60 million Americans are affected by some form of mental illness. Nearly one American in seven suffers from a serious mental illness. For too long, such misunderstood conditions as depression and bipolar disorders have stigmatized patients, needlessly causing shame and fear. In addition to the humantoll, diagnosing and treating mental illnesses exacts a heavy economic burden. In fact, according to NIMH, the total direct and indirect cost of treating mental illness in the United States is $205 billion per year. Fortunately, many mentalillnesses are highly treatable. According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the new medicines being developed hold the promise of providing patients and doctors with more andbetter treatment options. Among the medicines now in the research pipeline: 66 new treatments for depression, which affects nearly 21 million Americans; 26 medicines to treat addictive disorders, including dependence on alcohol, tobacco or illicit drugs; 54 therapies for anxiety disorders, which affect more than 40 million adults; 89 for demen- tias—including Alzheimer’s dis- More than 300 new medicines are being developed to help treat mental illness. ease, which affects more than 5 million Americans; and 45 promising remedies for schizophrenia, which strikes some 2.4 million adults each year. In addition to developing new medicines, American pharmaceutical research companies say they’ve madestrides in helping uninsured and underinsured patients gain access to the medicines they need. The companies have sponsored the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), which has helped connect more than 5 million uninsured and financially struggling Americans to more than 475 patient assistance pro- grams that provide free or nearly free medicines. Over 200 of the participating patient assistance programs are directly sponsored by an American pharmaceutical research company. To learn more about medicines being developed to help fight mental illness, visit www.PhRMAorg. For more information on the PPA and patient assistance programs, visit www.pparx.org or call toll-free (888) 4PPA-NOW.
