Argument #1: Mental health is just as important!

The main argument I am using to support my position in favor of parity for both all kinds of mental illnesses and for substance abuse as well is that these types of mental disorders are equally, if not more, detrimental to the American population and deserve to be treated in the same way as physical ailments. Many statistics show that the effects of these diseases and problems are very realistic, and impede the lives of millions of people daily. Thus, it is equally essential that Americans receive treatment for mental health as it is for physical health. In fact, due to advances in the understanding of the brain's chemistry, treatment for serious mental illnesses such as clinical depression have very high success rates, even higher than some physical ailments such as heart disease. It has also become clear that using comprehensive behavioral treatment has yielded a higher success rate for drug addicts, and that it is necessary for these individuals not only to undergo detoxification. Many members of Congress agree on this fact, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who says that it is certainly time to level the playing field for these types of diseases.