[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 212 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 212
Expressing support for designation of May 2013 as Mental Health Month.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 13, 2013
Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania,
Mr. Lance, Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. Ellmers, Mr. Barber, Ms. Bordallo, Ms.
Brown of Florida, Ms. Brownley of California, Mr. Butterfield, Mr.
Cardenas, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Cartwright, Mrs. Christensen, Ms.
Chu, Mr. Cicilline, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Ellison,
Mr. Farr, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Honda,
Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Ms. Kaptur, Ms.
Kuster, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Levin, Mr. Loebsack, Mr. Ben Ray
Lujan of New Mexico, Ms. Matsui, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Ms.
McCollum, Mr. McDermott, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Moore, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms.
Norton, Mr. Peters of California, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr.
Rahall, Mr. Rangel, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Rush, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mr.
Sablan, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Scott
of Virginia, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Smith of Washington, Ms. Speier, Mr.
Takano, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Wilson
of Florida, Ms. Esty, Mr. Van Hollen, Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Mrs. Beatty,
Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Vela, Mr. Gary G.
Miller of California, Ms. Hahn, Mr. Peters of Michigan, Mr. Duffy, Mr.
Gerlach, Mr. Griffin of Arkansas, Mr. Yoho, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Rogers
of Michigan, Mrs. Roby, Mr. McKinley, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Buchanan,
and Mr. Heck of Nevada) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for designation of May 2013 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 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) afflicts 15 to 20 percent of
veterans of the war in Afghanistan and 20 percent of Iraqi war veterans;
Whereas roughly 20 to 50 percent of all prison and jail inmates are diagnosed
with a 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 2012, over 38,000 people died by suicide in the United States, and
more than 500,000 people in the United States attempt suicide each year;
Whereas suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals between
the ages of 25 and 34;
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;
Whereas untreated schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychotic
illnesses, especially in persons with a substance abuse disorder or a
history of violence, may result in increased violent behavior and those
who do not receive treatment are 15 times more likely to commit a
violent act than those who are receiving treatment;
Whereas lack of awareness of one's mental illness affects approximately 50
percent of individuals with schizophrenia and 40 percent of individuals
with bipolar disorder;
Whereas the delay between a first episode of psychosis and onset of treatment is
an average of 110 weeks;
Whereas medication and psychosocial therapies have proven effective in treating
mental illness; and
Whereas it would be appropriate to observe May 2013 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.
<all>