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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Christopher Leon Johnson, Member of the Public, on Mental Health Access
1:56:00
ยท
129 sec
Christopher Leon Johnson testified in support of the committee's work on mental health access, emphasizing the need for broader recognition and treatment of mental health issues beyond just severe conditions like schizophrenia and psychosis. He argued for including less severe mental illnesses like bipolar disorder in the definition of serious mental illnesses to ensure more people can access needed services.
- Called for equal access to mental health services for those with "lesser than serious mental illnesses"
- Stressed the importance of treating a wider range of mental health issues as disabilities
- Mentioned the need for better outreach and a broader definition of mental health and mental illness in New York City
- Briefly touched on the topic of mask exemptions for disabled individuals, urging to keep it separate from political issues
Christopher Leon Johnson
1:56:00
You pick me.
1:56:01
Yeah.
1:56:02
Hello.
1:56:02
My name is Christopher Leon Johnson.
1:56:03
I'm the home people right now doing some, gardening.
1:56:06
So, I wanna speak on behalf of this, committee, and I wanna I wanna show show my support for it.
1:56:12
And I wanna show my support, and at the same time, I wanted to make sure that, the people that have, like, lesser than serious mental illnesses are able to access the same, mental health, same, services because I see that they they don't the city and the state doesn't cater to anybody who don't have, like, less than serious mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, and only they give you the flu as schizophrenia and psychosis.
1:56:37
Until that happens, nothing's gonna be accomplished in in the city with this stuff.
1:56:42
We have a big mental illness crisis in the city, and this even and everybody know the symptoms are, but they don't treat it as disabilities.
1:56:50
Treat it like as disabilities, these people are able to get the help they should be getting.
1:56:55
At the same time, I see that there was certain hearings talking about the masks, about face masks, and stuff like that.
1:57:01
I understand for people that are disabled, but, that's your own media exemption.
1:57:05
People who are disabled, the people who have, mental health issues, not people that are going over the city and committing crimes or the guys' politics like Palestine or Israel.
1:57:17
It shouldn't be like that.
1:57:18
Let's keep that a %.
1:57:19
But going back to mental illness state mental health, they need there need to be a bigger outreach and overboard definition to mental health and mental illness in the city of New York other than just making, like, you had to be psyche a real psychotic, like psychosis or schizophrenia to be helped.
1:57:37
What about I think what about people with bipolar disorder?
1:57:40
Help people who less mental illnesses.
1:57:42
And in the space time, we have to make sure that these people are taking care at the clubhouses too.
1:57:46
We had to hear them last month about those.
1:57:48
So we need to take care, make sure the people are taken care of with clubhouses
Mbacke Thiam
1:57:52
also.
Christopher Leon Johnson
1:57:53
Off the aisle.
1:57:54
And yeah.
1:57:55
Yeah.
1:57:55
So, like I said, bipolar disorder and less community illnesses need to be classified as serial mental illnesses, but in that, there's nothing gonna work.
1:58:04
So I gotta go back and keep gardening.
1:58:06
That's all.
UNKNOWN
1:58:06
Thank you.
1:58:07
Your time has expired.
Christopher Leon Johnson
1:58:08
Please, enjoy your day.
1:58:09
No.
Linda Lee
1:58:09
Thank you, and happy gardening.