Seth Moulton reveals he sought PTSD treatment, unveils mental health plan for veterans
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4 of 25![Rep. Seth Moulton, D-MA.., meets with patrons after participating in the Pints and Politics event held at The Barley House in Concord, N.H. Saturday, March 16, 2019. Rep. Moulton announced he is joining the presidential race on April 22, 2019.]()
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The plan, which was laid out just one day after Memorial Day, includes:
► Requiring annual mental health checkups and a mandatory counseling session for everyone returning from a combat deployment within two weeks of arriving home
► Double the number of Department of Defense mental health professionals and increase the mental health budget by $500 million
â–º Establish 511 as a National Mental Health Crisis Hotline
► Fund yearly mental health screenings for every high schooler in America
Moulton is one of the first presidential candidates to publicly reveal that he has received mental health treatment.Â
However, this is not the first time a politician has revealed they suffer from PTSD.
Jason Kander, former Missouri secretary of state, made national headlines last year after he dropped out of the Kansas City mayoral race due to PTSD and depression after serving in the Army National Guard, where he served in Afghanistan. Kander became a rising star in the Democratic Party after narrowly losing the 2016 Senator race to GOP incumbent Roy Blunt.Â
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In the Moulton campaign’s press release for his plan, it noted that “as Americans, we owe it to those who defend our country—and to their families—to make sure they receive the best healthcare in the world.”
“We must recognize mental health matters to everyone,” Moulton tweeted. “Tens of millions of Americans deal with mental health conditions each year, including some of the most talented and accomplished people in the world.
“We owe it to our country to provide the best mental health care,” he continued.
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