"As therapists we have been entrusted by society with collective responsibility in the arena of mental, behavioral and relational heath," reads the statement.
The Kennedys, in this way, are truly America's every family: In 2014, 43.5 million Americans age 18 and older were reported to have a mental illness (including a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder only).
Partially as a consequence, just under one-third of individuals with serious mental illness — defined as diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorders that result in functional impairment — go untreated in the United States.
Serious mental illness is defined as "having, at any time during the past year, a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that causes serious functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities".
Research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that among children ages 2 to 8, 1 in 7 experiences a psychological disorder, which is classified as a mental, behavioral or development problem.
PAE is a leading preventable cause of the birth defects, which can include physical, mental, behavioral and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong complications.
