The U.S. Surgeon General's report on mental health, issued in December 1999, points out that mental illnesses affect at least one in five Americans and that mental disorders account for four of the 10 leading causes of disability for persons age 5 and older.  The report calls for the removal of financial barriers and stigma that stand in the way of appropriate and necessary care for mental illness.

A full copy of Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General  is available at www.surgeongeneral.gov.