Liz Szabo

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – A Virginia lawmaker, who said his world "changed forever" when his son stabbed him before committing suicide in November, called on Congress Thursday to repair the nation's crumbling mental health system to prevent more tragedies.

"We cannot afford to wait for another crisis or tragedy," said Virginia state senator Creigh Deeds, who spoke to 1,700 mental health advocates at the annual meeting of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Washington. "Too many lives have been lost, too many families changed forever."

The Democratic lawmaker, who said he never intended to become a mental health advocate, was leading the call on Congress to address mental health issues.

Advocates argue that lawmakers have taken no major steps to help patients or families in the nearly two years since the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., thrust the issue into the national spotlight.

"I promise you that I would do anything to not be in this position today," said Deeds, who helped change Virginia law this year to make it easier to find a psychiatric hospital bed for someone in crisis. "When my world changed forever last November, I knew I had to do something to make a change. I determined to devote my life and my efforts to change the law to reduce the chance of such tragedies in the future."

After decades of cutbacks and closing of state psychiatric hospitals, many people with mental illness today have nowhere to turn, ending up in "the new institutions – the jails and the prisons," said Patrick Kennedy, the former congressman from Rhode Island who crafted the 2008 law requiring private insurers to provide equal coverage for mental and physical health.

Kennedy said people with mental illness today face widespread discrimination, and urged the USA to treat mental illness as a brain disease, rather than as a personal failing that should be hidden.

"Treat it like any other issue," said Kennedy, who has acknowledged his own struggles with bipolar disorder and substance abuse. "Treat it early. Treat it aggressively. You'll save lives. We'll all be better off for it."

While one in four Americans suffer from some sort of mental health problem, 10 million have a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Much of the focus on mental illness in recent years has focused on violence committed by people with a history of serious psychiatric issues, including the shooting last year at the Washington Navy Yard or the shooting spree this summer near Santa Barbara, Calif. Many of those attending the conference today, however, struggle with less public issues, such as finding affordable mental health care or help with housing, education and employment.

Pop singer Demi Lovato – who has battled bipolar disorder, eating disorders and substance abuse – urged the audience to act.

"Mental health matters and must be taking seriously," Lovato said. "Our stories really do matter."

Lovato urges advocates – who left after her speech to lobby their representatives on Capitol Hill – to tell Congress, "it is time to act for mental health and pass a comprehensive mental health bill this year."

Competing mental health bills have stalled in Congress, in what many observers call a sign of partisan gridlock.

One bill, introduced last year by Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., with bipartisan support, calls for a sweeping overhaul of the way mental health care is funded and organized. A Democratic alternative, sponsored by Rep. Ron Barber, D-Ariz., with Democratic support, calls for funding existing programs.

Kennedy urged Congress to follow the example of his father, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, to see compromise as a victory, not a capitulation.

"This is about making progress, not making perfection the enemy of the good," Kennedy said.

Lovato also tried to encourage those suffering from mental illness.

"We know what it means to have our lives or the lives of people we love get off track," Lovato said. "But we also know that mental health can be treatable when we have access to comprehensive care."

During her darkest days, Lovato said, she didn't think life was worth living. Regaining her health has taken work, but Lovato said, "I can only do the work now because I truly believe I'm worth it. I'm so grateful for my life and I want to preserve and protect it."

Lovato said she's willing to speak up, in spite of the stigma of mental illness, to give others hope.

"I want to show the world that there is life -- surprising, wonderful and unexpected life -- after diagnosis," Lovato said. "I'm proud to say that i'm living proof that someone can live, love and thrive with bipolar disorder if they get connected with professional resources."

People who need help for themselves or someone else can reach the national suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255.