[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 83 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 83

   Recognizing suicide as a national problem, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 6, 1997

 Mr. Reid (for himself, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Wellstone, and Mr. Coverdell) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                      on Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing suicide as a national problem, and for other purposes.

Whereas suicide, the ninth leading cause of all deaths in the United States and 
        the third such cause for young persons ages 15 through 24, claims over 
        31,000 lives annually, more than homicide;
Whereas suicide attempts, estimated to exceed 750,000 annually, adversely impact 
        the lives of millions of family members;
Whereas suicide completions annually cause over 200,000 family members to grieve 
        over and mourn a tragic suicide death for the first time, thus creating 
        a population of over 4,000,000 such mourners in the United States;
Whereas the suicide completion rate per 100,000 persons has remained relatively 
        stable over the past 40 years for the general population, and that rate 
        has nearly tripled for young persons;
Whereas that suicide completion rate is highest for adults over 65;
Whereas the stigma associated with mental illness works against suicide 
        prevention by keeping persons at risk of completing suicide from seeking 
        lifesaving help;
Whereas the stigma associated with suicide deaths seriously inhibits surviving 
        family members from regaining meaningful lives;
Whereas suicide deaths impose a huge unrecognized and unmeasured economic burden 
        on the United States in terms of potential years of life lost, medical 
        costs incurred, and work time lost by mourners;
Whereas suicide is a complex, multifaceted biological, sociological, 
        psychological, and societal problem;
Whereas even though many suicides are currently preventable, there is still a 
        need for the development of more effective suicide prevention programs;
Whereas suicide prevention opportunities continue to increase due to advances in 
        clinical research, in mental disorder treatments, and in basic 
        neuroscience, and due to the development of community-based initiatives 
        that await evaluation; and
Whereas suicide prevention efforts should be encouraged to the maximum extent 
        possible: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes suicide as a national problem and declares 
        suicide prevention to be a national priority;
            (2) acknowledges that no single suicide prevention program 
        or effort will be appropriate for all populations or 
        communities;
            (3) encourages initiatives dedicated to--
                    (A) preventing suicide;
                    (B) responding to people at risk for suicide and 
                people who have attempted suicide;
                    (C) promoting safe and effective treatment for 
                persons at risk for suicidal behavior;
                    (D) supporting people who have lost someone to 
                suicide; and
                    (E) developing an effective national strategy for 
                the prevention of suicide; and
            (4) encourages the development, and the promotion of 
        accessibility and affordability, of mental health services, to 
        enable all persons at risk for suicide to obtain the services, 
        without fear of any stigma.
                                 <all>