(Mental) Health Care Reform?

Today was the beginning of the 2009 World Mental Health Congress, this year held in Athens, Greece. The Congress will be held from September 2nd - 6th, and its mission is to raise awareness of mental health issues globally.
Mental health concerns are only recently becoming a real issue in the United States, thanks in part to the late Senator Ted Kennedy who championed the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007. According to the World Health Organization, suicide rates in the US are 17 in 100,000 for males and 4 in 100,000 for females. Overall, 1 in 4 Americans suffer from some kind of mental disorder per year, while 1 in 17 suffer from more persistent and serious cases.
With all the attention paid to health care reform this year, little gets paid to these kinds of issues. With such high rates of mental disorders, more effort needs to be made to remove the stigma from those who need care. Mental health issues are more likely to be left untreated, even by those who have access to such facilities. In tough financial times, these problems are certain to increase. Such concerns affect us all, as people with mental disorders are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol and commit violent crime. Will the current health care reform effort bring mental health access to underprivileged communities, or will Congress water down reform and leave millions to suffer these unseen illnesses in silence?