By Shaun Boyd – CBS Colorado
A state lawmaker, who came under attack for opening up about her own struggle with mental illness, is fighting back.
Democratic State Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, whose district includes Adams County, says it’s past time to break down the negative stereotypes around behavioral health.
She has carried more than a dozen bills over the last six years aimed at lifting the secrecy and shame around mental illness and improving access to care. Her latest bill would bar insurers from requiring people with a serious mental illness to try a series of less expensive drugs before covering the one recommended by their doctor.