[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 769 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 769

  Recognizing the importance of mental health for youth in the United 
States, and expressing the pressing need for awareness and support for 
            mental health care for children and adolescents.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 24, 2024

   Mr. Padilla (for himself and Mr. Tillis) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the importance of mental health for youth in the United 
States, and expressing the pressing need for awareness and support for 
            mental health care for children and adolescents.

Whereas, over the past few decades and during the COVID-19 pandemic, mental 
        health issues among young people have steadily become worse;
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 49.5 percent 
        of adolescents in the United States have faced a mental health disorder 
        at some point in their lives;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that in 2020, 
        during the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health-related emergency room 
        visits for children aged 5 through 11 years increased by 24 percent, and 
        for children aged 12 through 17 years increased more than 30 percent;
Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--

    (1) suicide is the third leading cause of death among 14- to 18-year-
olds in the United States; and

    (2) over 20 percent of high school students seriously consider 
attempting suicide and 10 percent attempt to take their lives;

Whereas the National Institute of Mental Health states that mental health 
        disorders, such as anxiety and depression, can lead to a higher 
        propensity to engage in substance use; and
Whereas youth populations in rural or underserved areas are less likely to be 
        connected to mental health care: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate recognizes the importance of mental 
health among youth in the United States, and that in order to increase 
awareness for mental health care for children and adolescents, the 
Federal Government must work collaboratively to--
            (1) encourage States, local educational agencies, schools, 
        and community organizations to support children, youth, and 
        students experiencing mental health challenges at all grade 
        levels by--
                    (A) improving the professional development given to 
                educators so that educators are better equipped to--
                            (i) support student well-being through 
                        evidence-based prevention strategies; and
                            (ii) respond to signs and symptoms of 
                        mental health disorders among students that 
                        educators are in direct contact with;
                    (B) recognizing that young children often go 
                misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or face stigma when it comes 
                to mental health disorders, and therefore lack adequate 
                services and support when dealing with mental health 
                challenges and crises;
                    (C) raising awareness for high-quality school- and 
                campus-based mental health services that are evidence-
                based and trauma-informed; and
                    (D) evaluating the preservation of continuity of 
                care for students whose treatment is interrupted;
            (2) recognize that mental health and physical health are 
        intertwined and can be treated through integrated care 
        services, and that age is not a determinant for experiencing a 
        mental health disorder, in that children can face mental health 
        challenges even in early childhood;
            (3) recognize the urgency for increasing public knowledge 
        of mental health disorders by encouraging Federal, State, and 
        local institutions to disseminate robust resources regarding 
        the effects and available treatment options for various mental 
        health disorders;
            (4) address the stigmas associated with mental health 
        challenges by urging States to adopt peer-to-peer mental health 
        treatment models that prioritize community-based care;
            (5) create a comprehensive strategy to contact isolated 
        communities with little access to knowledge about and resources 
        for supporting young people experiencing mental health 
        disorders; and
            (6) address and prevent adverse childhood experiences, 
        including previous childhood trauma, and other childhood and 
        family risk factors that can lead to involvement in the justice 
        and child welfare systems.
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