[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 370 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 370

Designating September 7, 2004, as ``National Attention Deficit Disorder 
                            Awareness Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 7, 2004

Ms. Cantwell submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Designating September 7, 2004, as ``National Attention Deficit Disorder 
                            Awareness Day''.

Whereas Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (also known as AD/HD or ADD), 
        is a chronic neurobiological disorder, affecting both children and 
        adults, that can significantly interfere with an individual's ability to 
        regulate activity level, inhibit behavior, and attend to tasks in 
        developmentally appropriate ways;
Whereas AD/HD can cause devastating consequences, including failure in school 
        and the workplace, antisocial behavior, encounters with the justice 
        system, interpersonal difficulties, and substance abuse;
Whereas AD/HD, the most extensively studied mental disorder in children, affects 
        an estimated 3 percent to 7 percent (2,000,000) of young school-age 
        children and an estimated 4 percent (8,000,000) of adults across racial, 
        ethnic, and socioeconomic lines;
Whereas scientific studies clearly indicate that AD/HD runs in families and 
        suggest that genetic inheritance is an important risk factor, with 
        between 10 and 35 percent of children with AD/HD having a first-degree 
        relative with past or present AD/HD, and with approximately 50 percent 
        of parents who had AD/HD having a child with the disorder;
Whereas despite the serious consequences that can manifest in the family and 
        life experiences of an individual with AD/HD, studies indicate that less 
        than 85 percent of adults with the disorder are diagnosed and less than 
        half of children and adults with the disorder are receiving treatment;
 Whereas poor and minority communities are particularly underserved by AD/HD 
        resources;
Whereas the Surgeon General, the American Medical Association (AMA), the 
        American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Child and 
        Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), the American Psychological Association, 
        the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institute of Mental 
        Health, among others, recognize the need for proper diagnosis, 
        education, and treatment of AD/HD;
Whereas the lack of public knowledge and understanding of the disorder play a 
        significant role in the overwhelming numbers of undiagnosed and 
        untreated cases of AD/HD, and the dissemination of inaccurate, 
        misleading information contributes to the obstacles preventing diagnosis 
        and treatment of the disorder;
 Whereas lack of knowledge, combined with the issue of stigma associated with 
        AD/HD, has a particularly detrimental effect on the diagnosis and 
        treatment of AD/HD;
Whereas there is a need to educate health care professionals, employers, and 
        educators about the disorder and a need for well-trained mental health 
        professionals capable of conducting proper diagnosis and treatment 
        activities; and
Whereas studies by the National Institute of Mental Health and others 
        consistently reveal that through proper and comprehensive diagnosis and 
        treatment, the symptoms of AD/HD can be substantially decreased and 
        quality of life for the individual can be improved: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates September 7, 2004, as ``National Attention 
        Deficit Disorder Awareness Day'';
            (2) recognizes Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 
        (AD/HD) as a major public health concern;
            (3) encourages all people of the United States to find out 
        more about AD/HD and its supporting mental health services, and 
        to seek the appropriate treatment and support, if necessary;
            (4) expresses the sense of the Senate that the Federal 
        Government has a responsibility to--
                    (A) endeavor to raise public awareness about AD/HD; 
                and
                    (B) continue to consider ways to improve access to, 
                and the quality of, mental health services dedicated to 
                the purpose of improving the quality of life for 
                children and adults with AD/HD; and
            (5) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
        calling on Federal, State and local administrators and the 
        people of the United States to observe the day with appropriate 
        programs and activities.
                                 <all>