Oil spill related mental health claims: Should BP have to pay up?

Mental health claims should be paid out just as all other health claims related to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, says the American Psychiatric Association.

And the group hopes Kenneth Feinberg, BP claims administrator, will make sure claimants get reimbursement for mental health visits, according to Medical News Today.

"Mental illnesses brought on by difficult situations surrounding the BP oil spill may be less visible than other injuries, but they are real," APA president Dr. Carol A. Bernstein said in a news release from the APA.

"An entire way of life has been destroyed and this is causing anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, thoughts of suicide and other problems."

The APA was one of the mental health organizations that objected to recent testimony from Feinberg before the House Judiciary Committee.

In his testimony, Feinberg said it was unlikely that money from the $20 billion relief fund would be used for claims in which the main complaint involved mental health issues.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health America also objected to Feinberg’s testimony.

nydailynews.com