[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 349 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. J. RES. 349

 To designate the week of October 2, 1994, through October 8, 1994, as 
                   ``Mental Illness Awareness Week''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 24, 1994

  Mr. Wyden (for himself, Mr. Machtley, Mr. Kreidler, Mr. Spratt, Mr. 
  Tanner, Mr. Slattery, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. 
    Clement, Mr. Coble, Mr. Moakley, Mr. Mazzoli, Mrs. Unsoeld, Mr. 
 Rowland, Mr. Hefner, Mr. Jacobs, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. Pickle, Mr. Lantos, 
  Mr. Wheat, Mr. Waxman, Mrs. Byrne, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Wolf, Mr. 
Cramer, Mr. Miller of California, Ms. Furse, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson 
  of Texas, Mr. Franks of Connecticut, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. 
 Stark, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Regula, Mr. Filner, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Towns, 
  Mr. Kopetski, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Markey, Mr. LaFalce, Mr. Sawyer, Mr. 
Frost, Mr. Wise, Mr. Poshard, Mr. Gejdenson, Mr. King, Mr. Archer, Mrs. 
Roukema, Ms. Norton, Mr. Kasich, Mr. Evans, Mr. Cooper, Mrs. Mink, Mr. 
   Kleczka, Mrs. Thurman, Mr. Neal of Massachusetts, Mr. Peterson of 
 Florida, and Ms. Molinari) introduced the following joint resolution; 
  which was referred to the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
 To designate the week of October 2, 1994, through October 8, 1994, as 
                   ``Mental Illness Awareness Week''.

Whereas mental illness is a problem of grave concern and consequence in the 
        United States and it is widely, but unnecessarily, feared and 
        misunderstood;
Whereas on an annual basis 40,000,000 adults in the United States experience 
        clearly diagnosable mental disorders, including mental illness, alcohol 
        abuse, and drug abuse, which create significant disabilities with 
        respect to employment, school attendance, and independent living;
Whereas more than 11,200,000 United States citizens are diagnosed with 
        schizophrenia, manic depressive disorder, and major depression; and 
        these individuals are often disabled for long periods of time;
Whereas \1/3\ of homeless persons suffer serious, chronic forms of mental 
        illness;
Whereas mental disorders affect almost 22 percent of adults in the United States 
        in any 1-year period, with an additional 6 percent affected by substance 
        abuse disorders;
Whereas mental illness interferes with the development and maturation of at 
        least 7,000,000 to 12,000,000 American children;
Whereas anxiety disorders are the most prevalent of the mental disorders, 
        affecting 12.6 percent of the adult population, phobia disorders affect 
        10.9 percent, obsessive-compulsive disorder 2.1 percent, and panic 
        disorder 1.3 percent;
Whereas 1.1 percent of the population develops schizophrenia during their 
        lifetimes, which means that 2,000,000 Americans are affected by 
        schizophrenia in any given year and occupy an estimated 100,000 hospital 
        beds on any given day;
Whereas conditions such as major depression and dysthymia affect approximately 
        twice as many women as men, thus, an estimated 6 percent of United 
        States women, in contrast to 3 percent of men, will experience a major 
        depression in their lifetime;
Whereas at least another 6 percent of women have dysthymia, a less severe, but 
        often more chronic form of depression;
Whereas a majority of the 30,000 American citizens who commit suicide each year 
        have a mental or an addictive disorder;
Whereas our growing population of elderly persons faces many obstacles to care 
        for mental disorders;
Whereas 20 to 25 percent of persons with AIDS develop AIDS-related cognitive 
        dysfunction and as many as \2/3\ of persons with AIDS will show 
        neuropsychiatric symptoms before they die;
Whereas mental illnesses, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse result in staggering 
        costs to society, estimated to be in excess of $300,000,000,000 in 
        direct treatment and support and indirect costs to society, including 
        lost productivity;
Whereas the Federal research and services budget committed to the National 
        Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the 
        National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, and the Center for 
        Mental Health Services represents only about 1 percent of the direct 
        treatment and support costs of caring for persons with alcohol, drug, 
        and mental disorders;
Whereas mental illnesses are increasingly treatable disorders and with excellent 
        prospects for amelioration when properly recognized;
Whereas persons with mental illness and their families have begun to join self-
        help groups and have worked to reduce the unfair stigma of mental 
        illness, to support greater national investment in research and 
        services, and to advocate a full continuum of care from hospital to 
        community;
Whereas in recent years there have been unprecedented major research 
        developments bringing new methods and technology to the sophisticated 
        and objective study of the functioning of the brain and of services and 
        systems of care for persons with mental illness;
Whereas research in recent decades has led to a wide array of new and more 
        effective modalities of treatment (somatic, psychosocial, ad service 
        delivery) for some of the most severe forms of mental illness, including 
        schizophrenia, major affective disorders, phobias, and phobic disorders;
Whereas appropriate treatment of mental illness has been demonstrated to be cost 
        effective in terms of restored productivity, reduced use of other health 
        services, and lessened social dependence; and
Whereas recent and unparalleled growth in scientific knowledge about mental 
        illness has generated the current emergency of a new threshold of 
        opportunity for future research advances and fruitful application to 
        specific clinical problems: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the week of October 2, 
1994, through October 8, 1994, is designated as ``Mental Illness 
Awareness Week''. The President is authorized and requested to issue a 
proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe 
such week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

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