Morgan Gstalter

mgstalter@dmreg.com

Today would have been Karen Schmitz's nephew's 34th birthday. Two years ago, Steven ended his own life after mental illness and incarceration — rather than treatment — meant that he didn't get the help he needed.

So Schmitz, her family and hundreds of other Iowans gathered on Sunday to participate in March on the Capitol for Mental Health to demand support from Iowa legislators so the young Stevens in the world live to see their next birthdays, even if they are suffering with a mental illness.

"I'm an ER nurse and I'm always amazed at how normal the families are, how normal the patients are — even if they have a mental illness," said Schmitz, of Greeley. "It's frustrating. We have these empty facilities because people aren't getting the help they need. They're sitting in the back of a cop car or in the back of an ambulance because they can't get access to the treatment that they need. So then that cop car or ambulance is tied up for six or seven hours … there needs to be a plan in place before they just shut down mental institutions."

The March on the Capitol gathered in Cowles Commons, downtown, to march to the Iowa state Capitol building so that legislators and Gov. Terry Branstad could hear from Iowans who believe in making mental health care a priority.

In 2015, Branstad closed two prominent facilities for citizens living with mental illness. The march was meant as a way to show legislators that it affects the whole world, not just Iowa — but we're far behind the rest of the world, said Susan Rowe.

"We are at the bottom of the barrel, in terms of mental health awareness, and Iowa has never been at the bottom of everything," said Rowe, also a nurse.

Iowa is ranked as the worst state in the country for access to psychiatric beds for patients in need.

"They need to open up beds," Rowe said. "But they're not allowed to fill them. They are downsizing these facilities when there is a huge need for them, and now there are just empty beds."

Mental illnesses can often be silent, Rowe said, so legislators and decision-makers don't always know how to weigh the cases versus the costs.

"There's no funding, but there's a stigma," Rowe said. "People with mental illness are not 'crazy.' Many can live productive, normal lives if they can get the treatment they deserve."

Treatment that is not available to all Iowans who need it. According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness' Greater Des Moines Chapter (NAMI), one in four people will experience mental illness in their lifetime — approximately 750,000 people out of Iowa's population. The statistic became an empowering slogan for marchers and their T-shirts Sunday.

"I would not be satisfied if we were ranked number two in the country," Ross Trowbridge said. "We need to be continually striving to reach number one in mental health care."

Facts about mental health care in Iowa

Iowa is ranked 46th in the country for the number of psychologists and 47th for the number of psychiatrists

Over 40 percent of men and over 60 percent of women incarcerated in Iowa prisons have a mental illness

In 2013, 445 people in Iowa committed suicide, which is now the leading cause of injury deaths in the country

Nationally, more than 4,600 young people die from suicide every year

Nationally, 22 veterans commit suicide each day

Source: NAMI and the Community Health Needs Assessment of 2015

How to get help

In Iowa, free help can be found by calling Your Life Iowa at 1-855-581-8111 anytime, or, from the hours of 2 to 10 p.m., texting 1-855-895-TEXT (8398).

Or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.