[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 640 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 640

 Expressing support for designation of May 2012 as Mental Health Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 27, 2012

 Mrs. Napolitano (for herself, Mr. Baca, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Berkley, Mr. 
Brady of Pennsylvania, Ms. Brown of Florida, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Cicilline, 
    Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. 
Doggett, Ms. Edwards, Mr. Ellison, Mr. Farr, Mr. Filner, Mr. Gonzalez, 
   Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Gutierrez, Ms. Hahn, Mr. 
 Hastings of Florida, Mr. Hinojosa, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Honda, Mr. Israel, 
   Mr. Crowley, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. 
 Lipinski, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Lujan, Mrs. 
Maloney, Ms. Matsui, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McNerney, Mr. Meeks, Mr. George 
 Miller of California, Ms. Moore, Mr. Olver, Mr. Owens, Mr. Pastor of 
 Arizona, Mr. Pierluisi, Mr. Polis, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Reyes, Ms. Roybal-
Allard, Mr. Rush, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, 
   Ms. Schwartz, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Stark, Mr. Thompson of 
Mississippi, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Thompson of California, 
   Mr. Tonko, Mr. Towns, Ms. Tsongas, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Wasserman 
 Schultz, Ms. Waters, Mr. Watt, Mr. Waxman, Ms. Woolsey, Ms. Chu, Mr. 
   Murphy of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Austria) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing support for designation of May 2012 as Mental Health Month.

Whereas the mental health and well-being of people in the United States is a 
        critical issue that affects not only quality of life, but also the 
        health of communities, families, and economic stability;
Whereas the stigma associated with mental health continues to persist;
Whereas more than 57,000,000 people in the United States suffer from mental 
        illness;
Whereas approximately 1 in 5 children and adolescents has a diagnosable mental 
        disorder;
Whereas more than a quarter of the members of the United States Armed Forces 
        suffer from psychological or neurological injuries sustained from 
        combat, including major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder;
Whereas more than half of all prison and jail inmates suffer from mental 
        illness;
Whereas mental illness is the leading cause of disability in the Nation;
Whereas major mental illness costs businesses and the United States economy over 
        $193,000,000,000 per year in lost earnings;
Whereas untreated mental illness is a leading cause of absenteeism and lost 
        productivity in the workplace;
Whereas in 2005, over 32,000 individuals died by suicide in the United States, 
        nearly twice the rate of homicide;
Whereas suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth between the ages 
        of 15 and 24;
Whereas in 2004, individuals age 65 and older comprised only 12.4 percent of the 
        population but accounted for 16.6 percent of all suicides, and the rate 
        of suicide among older people is higher than for any other age group;
Whereas 1 in 4 Latin American adolescents report seriously contemplating 
        suicide, a rate higher than any other demographic;
Whereas Native Americans currently rank as the top ethnicity for suicide rates 
        nationwide;
Whereas studies report that people with serious mental illness die, on average, 
        25 years earlier than the general population; and
Whereas it would be appropriate to observe May 2012 as Mental Health Month: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of Mental Health Month in 
        order to place emphasis on scientific facts and findings 
        regarding mental health and to remove the stigma associated 
        with mental illness;
            (2) recognizes that mental well-being is equally as 
        important as physical well-being for citizens, communities, 
        businesses, and the economy in the United States;
            (3) applauds the coalescing of national and community 
        organizations in working to promote public awareness of mental 
        health and providing critical information and support to the 
        people and families affected by mental illness;
            (4) supports the finding of the President's Commission on 
        Mental Health that the Nation's failure to prioritize mental 
        health is a national tragedy; and
            (5) encourages all organizations and health practitioners 
        to use Mental Health Month as an opportunity to promote mental 
        well-being and awareness, ensure access to appropriate 
        services, and support overall quality of life for those living 
        with mental illness.
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