Experts say it's time to fill in gaps of mental health system

Experts say the tragedy at Northern Illinois University Thursday where a former top student shot and killed five undergraduates is a call to action to fix gaps in the mental-health system.

Steven Kazmierczak, 27, had received treatment for mental illness at various times, but his behavior became increasingly disturbing in his last months.

To provide a real safety net for those suffering from mental disorders, which affect one in four adults, Illinois needs to offer services that are affordable and accessible, advocates say.

Right now, the system is in dire straits, with psychiatric hospitals dwindling, said Mark Heyrman, facilitator of the Mental Health Summit, a statewide coalition of concerned agencies.

"It is almost impossible to get into a psychiatric hospital in Illinois," Heyrman said.

To compensate, affordable community-based mental health counseling is necessary, said Lora Thomas, executive director with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Illinois.

The groups also called for greater education about mental conditions. They cautioned against linking them with violent behavior, saying like other diseases, mental illness is treatable.

In the case of the NIU gunman, "it sounds like many people were aware and yet nothing was done," Thomas said.

According to the shooter's girlfriend, he had stopped taking antidepressants.

Heyrman said one recurring problem is that many patients' health insurance covers only brief doctor visits.

"We pay for medication but we don't pay for the stuff that keeps you connected to the medication," he said, referring to doctors and social workers.