Story highlights Patrick Kennedy is a mental health advocate

He says the rhetoric surrounding the 2016 election is discouraging

Washington (CNN) Patrick Kennedy, a mental health advocate and former Rhode Island congressman, penned an op-ed Monday calling on Americans to stop calling Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump "crazy" because it demeans those who suffer from real mental health issues.

Kennedy, the youngest son of the longtime Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, writes in The Washington Post that the rhetoric surrounding the 2016 election discourages anyone suffering mental health issues from seeking help.

"With all of this damaging rhetoric floating around in our national political discourse, especially what we hear from and about Trump, it's no wonder that people remain silent and the suffering continues," Kennedy wrote. "So if you've got a criticism about Trump's temperament, fine. But let's eliminate the name-calling and grade-school bullying. As Michelle Obama put it, 'When they go low, we go high.'"

Kennedy, who himself struggled with mental illness and addiction, co-authored a book on his experience called "A Common Struggle."

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