Democratic Presidential Candidate Demands Reclassification of Schizophrenia

Senator Harris joins a number of her fellow presidential candidates in offering a plan to address the shortage of mental health and addiction care providers across the country. However, Senator Harris takes her plan a step further with demanding a reclassification of Schizophrenia.

“We need to act. As president, Kamala will make sure we deliver mental health on demand—that is, she will provide services to all Americans who need it, whenever they need it, and wherever they need it,” her proposal reads.

Senator Harris supports an effort that GCS has been championing. Her plan supports reclassifying schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses as a neurological condition instead of a behavioral condition. The new designation would unlock more funding for research, advocates say.

Groups lobbying for reclassification have argued they want schizophrenia included in the CDC surveillance in order to convince researchers and the public the condition is biologically based with probable causes.