If a lack of insurance coverage for psychiatric services has resulted in your not being able to access medical treatment for a mental illness, then the idea of parity may sound pretty good.
Parity is about more money for the medical parts of mental health care.
It is about more hospital days, more dollars for visits to psychiatrists, more money to pay for the newer psychiatric drugs and other medical model services that are often not covered by insurance policies offered today. It is true that many medical insurance policies have lower limits for psychiatric medical care, and that this situation is discriminatory. But parity that includes coverage for involuntary psychiatric treatment is not the solution to discrimination. In fact, when mental health care that is forced or coerced is part of the parity picture it increases discrimination and subjects consumers and survivors of mental health care to officially sanctioned violations of our civil rights. Increasing the availability of medical model treatment in the name of parity does not improve anyone's chances of getting other kinds of services.