As too many people know only too well, mental health is a world of unmet needs and untold suffering. Society’s ability to identify and treat emotional ailments and addiction is painfully inadequate. Families, left to themselves, struggle and fail. They often lack the resources to confront problems or don’t try: two things in plentiful supply are ignorance and denial.
Into this void, bearing a multiagency “road map” with a kitchen-sink approach, has stepped Mayor Bill de Blasio. In an emotional news conference on Monday, he unveiled a citywide initiative, called “ThriveNYC,” to tackle mental illness and addiction.