Rosalynn Carter on Mental Health

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter discusses Mental Health Care in an exclusive interview with CSPAN for its First Ladies series. More information here

"I got upset with the press too because they covered my mental health work my first few meetings I had and then they never showed up anymore, and one of the things I wanted to do is bring attention to the issue and how terrible it was and what few services there were.

And - but - and thinking just getting it out in the public, that's what I did in Georgia, developed a good program in Georgia, by the way. But they just didn't come.

And so one day I was walking in the downstairs floor in the White House and met this woman who was one of the press people and I said, "You don't ever cover my - nobody ever covers my meetings" and she said, "Mrs. Carter, mental health is just not a sexy issue" and that was - and that I didn't like, but I never did get very much coverage for it.

But we toured the country, found out what was needed, developed legislation and passed the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980. It passed through Congress one month before Jimmy, as he says was, involuntarily retired from the White House and the incoming president put it on the shelf. Never implemented it. It was one of the greatest disappointments of my life."