Obama urges greater openness in dealing with mental illness

U.S. President Obama listens to remarks as he hosts the National Conference on Mental Health at the White House in WashingtonBy Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Monday that Americans need to become more open about mental health issues so that people struggling with problems are not ashamed to seek help. More than 60 percent of Americans with mental illness do not receive treatment, many of them because they are embarrassed or afraid of being ostracized, Obama said, speaking at a White House conference on mental health. "We wouldn't accept it if only 40 percent of Americans with cancers got treatment," Obama said. …