[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 474 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 474

Recognizing the important contribution and added value of mental health 
 and psychosocial support services and the importance of building such 
           capacity in humanitarian and development contexts.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 9, 2015

   Ms. McCollum (for herself, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, and Mrs. Napolitano) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
  on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the important contribution and added value of mental health 
 and psychosocial support services and the importance of building such 
           capacity in humanitarian and development contexts.

Whereas mental, neurological, and substance use disorders are one of the great 
        invisible public health challenges in all societies and the leading 
        cause of disability worldwide;
Whereas the World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 4 people will 
        experience an episode of a mental or neurological disorder, such as 
        schizophrenia, depression, epilepsy, dementia, or a substance-use 
        disorder, in their lifetime;
Whereas the World Health Organization ranked depression as the third highest 
        cause of disease burden globally and has projected that depression will 
        become the leading cause by 2030;
Whereas mental health problems can affect a person's ability to function, carry 
        out day-to-day tasks, and establish or maintain relationships with 
        others;
Whereas effective mental health and psychosocial well-being are essential for 
        adapting to new situations, responding to challenges, and coping with 
        crises;
Whereas it is estimated that after humanitarian emergencies, the percentage of 
        the population experiencing common mental disorders doubles, while those 
        individuals with pre-existing and severe mental illnesses remain 
        especially vulnerable and often have no access to care;
Whereas in high-income countries, approximately half of the people afflicted 
        with mental disorders do not receive appropriate care and in low-income 
        countries, the figure is even higher at approximately 85-90 percent;
Whereas the global cost of mental illness in 2010 was $2.5 trillion and this 
        cost is projected to rise above $6 trillion by 2030, yet the amount of 
        development assistance for global mental health between 2007 and 2013 
        was only $133.57 million, which represents less than 1 percent of all 
        development assistance;
Whereas integrating mental health and psychosocial support into other sectors 
        supports population health, economic development, and political 
        stability;
Whereas integrating mental health into general health care by building capacity 
        of staff and health facilities can create accessible and nonstigmatizing 
        mental health services;
Whereas in 2012, the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly adopted resolution 
        WHA65.4, which then resulted in the introduction of the Global Mental 
        Health Action Plan 2013-2020 by the World Health Organization;
Whereas the overarching goal of the Global Mental Health Action Plan is to 
        promote mental well-being, prevent mental disorders, provide care, 
        enhance recovery, promote human rights, and reduce the mortality, 
        morbidity, and disability for persons with mental disorders; and
Whereas there is an urgent need to create accessible, quality mental health 
        services in line with national and global guidelines by designing 
        comprehensive and culturally, developmentally, and linguistically 
        appropriate programs that build local human resource capacity and 
        strengthen health systems: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) affirms the continued support of the United States for 
        making resources available to provide mental health and 
        psychosocial support services and build capacity in low-
        resource settings and in conflict and crisis-affected 
        countries;
            (2) recognizes the importance of trained mental health 
        workers in restoring functioning, enhancing well-being, and 
        saving lives through the increased availability of high-quality 
        and culturally acceptable mental health and psychosocial 
        support services, as well as the important contributions and 
        lived experience of individuals and families affected by mental 
        illness; and
            (3) calls on the Department of State, the United States 
        Agency for International Development, and other relevant 
        Federal agencies to integrate mental health and psychosocial 
        support activities, based upon the Global Mental Health Action 
        Plan, into programs, funding opportunities, and budget 
        allocations for the relevant sectors in order to improve the 
        overall quality of life for people living with mental illnesses 
        both domestically and abroad.
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