[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 35 (Thursday, March 24, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     MENTAL ILLNESS AWARENESS WEEK

                                 ______


                             HON. RON WYDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 24, 1994

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. Speaker, the tragedy of mental illness affects 40 
million adults and 12 million children in this country alone.
  Over the past 11 years, the first week of October has been proclaimed 
``Mental Illness Awareness Week.'' During this time many national and 
local grass roots organizations throughout the country sponsor 
activities directed to their members, volunteers, the media, 
legislators and the public to bring awareness to the plight of the 
mentally ill. Today, I am once again introducing a resolution to 
commemorate Mental Illness Awareness Week to keep the flame of hope 
alive for victims of mental illness.
  Barriers to the recognition and treatment of mental illnesses 
persist, and we continue to pay the price. Inadequate treatment shows 
up in performance and absentee statistics in school and industry, in 
homelessness, in chronic physical problems, and in suicide, crime and 
accident reports. Mental illnesses claim tens of thousands of lives and 
cost the Nation $300 billion annually.
  Children are particularly vulnerable. The rate of completed and 
attempted suicides in adolescents continues to rise. Children with 
depression, anorexia, autism, and behavioral disorders experience the 
anguish of mental illness directly. But children are also indirect 
victims, suffering the consequences of impaired parenting by a mentally 
ill or drug or alcohol abusing mother or father.
  There is much to be done to combat mental illness. We must provide 
adequate funding for research and act as advocates for mental health, 
recognizing the diverse settings where mental illnesses are treated. We 
need to champion preventive and early diagnostic services and recognize 
the benefits of early treatment, a prerequisite of which is the goal of 
this annual proclamation: the formation of a national partnership to 
dispel the silence surrounding mental illness.
  Mental Illness Awareness Week provides us with the opportunity to 
overcome the cruel stigma surrounding mental illness. It also helps to 
educate the public that treatment is available and can lead to 
increased productivity and improved quality of life for millions of 
Americans.
  I thank my colleagues who have already joined this cause through 
their support for this resolution, and urge the Congress to move 
swiftly in recognizing again the plight and needs of the mentally ill.

                          ____________________