Rep. Adam Smith shares his challenging mental health recovery journey.

With suicides on the rise and the opioid crisis plaguing the nation, mental health has come to the forefront in ⁢recent years as ​a⁢ critical⁢ issue facing the United States.

For Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), it has ‍also been a very personal struggle—one he ⁣details in his new book “Lost and Broken.”

“My calculation is there’s probably tens of millions⁣ of people in our country​ who⁢ are ⁢suffering from some combination of anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. ⁤So, I want to help those people, a)⁤ understand​ they’re not alone, and b) navigate the system to find⁣ a path to getting better,” Mr. Smith told⁣ The Epoch Times’ sister outlet, NTD News, during an appearance​ on “Capitol⁤ Report.”

According to provisional data released on‌ Aug. 10 by the Centers for Disease Control and ⁣Prevention (CDC), suicides ‍reached the highest number ⁢on record in 2022 as an estimated 49,449 Americans made the decision to prematurely end their lives.

The number represents a 2.6 ‌percent increase from 2021​ and breaks the previous record of 48,183 suicide deaths‍ recorded in 2018.

“People’s inability to deal with the basics of mental health can absolutely snowball into larger problems,” Mr. Smith said.

“And it definitely raises that issue of‌ how should we address those problems publicly. What should we ⁣do to put ⁢people in a better position to deal with their mental health challenges, I think, is one of the central‍ public policy questions that​ we face in this country right now.”

Overcoming the Fear

The 26-year congressman’s book ‍recounts his‌ difficulties finding ⁣treatment for “crippling” anxiety that he developed while in his 40s.

“It was an uncontrollable, nonstop, existential fear that made ⁣it impossible‌ to sleep,⁤ eat, function—it was really difficult,” he said. “And ⁣it didn’t⁣ have,⁤ like, any specific ​identifiable cause. ⁤And that‍ is a deeper ‍problem.”

Although he tried ​to cope with ​the anxiety on his own at first, ⁢Mr. Smith⁣ said he eventually realized that he was going to need some help. He sought treatment from psychiatrists and psychologists, but ⁤during that ‍process, he also ended up needing⁢ physical⁤ therapy ‍and⁤ surgery for chronic ⁤pain in⁣ his hips.

“I saw over ⁤100 ⁢different health care providers,” he noted.​ “Now, a⁤ lot of‍ them​ were​ physical therapists, massage‍ therapists, that kind‌ of thing. But it took ⁤me a‌ long time to find a psychologist and a muscle activation therapist⁢ who diagnosed me correctly and gave me the treatments ​that I needed to get better. So, ​I chronicle that voyage ⁤in the book.”

Roadblocks to ​Recovery

One key‌ message of Mr. Smith’s⁢ book is that there is a ⁣road to recovery for those who are ⁤struggling with mental health‌ issues. But he also notes that, along that path,​ there ‍are certain​ roadblocks that can make the healing‍ process more difficult.

One⁤ of those hurdles is ⁣the negative ⁣connotation ​surrounding mental health.

“The‍ stigma around mental ‍health, it’s a​ big problem—certainly was a problem for ⁢me—and I document this ⁢in the book,” Mr. Smith said.

“When I ‍started​ feeling⁣ this, I was like, ‘Oh my ⁢gosh, no one can find out about this. If anyone‍ finds​ out about this, they’re going to think ‌I’m crazy and … it’s going⁣ to jeopardize relationships; I’m going to lose my job.’ So,⁤ we have to reduce that stigma.”

But stigma ⁤aside, the congressman stressed that certain​ limitations of the health care industry can also pose a stumbling block for‍ patients seeking help.

For instance, ‌not all patients will have access to affordable care. While in Mr. Smith’s case, he had health insurance, many of the providers from whom he sought help either⁣ did not take his ‌insurance or didn’t accept insurance at all.

Additionally, he said providers’ dependence on ‍med