[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 6, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S4013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 84--RECOGNIZING SUICIDE AS A NATIONAL PROBLEM

  Mr. REID (for himself, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. Coverdell, Mr. 
Breaux, and Ms. Landrieu) submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 84

       Whereas suicide, the ninth leading cause of all deaths in 
     the United States and the third such cause for young persons 
     ages 15 through 24, claims over 31,000 lives annually, more 
     than homicide;
       Whereas suicide attempts, estimated to exceed 750,000 
     annually, adversely impact the lives of millions of family 
     members;
       Whereas suicide completions annually cause over 200,000 
     family members to grieve over and mourn a tragic suicide 
     death for the first time, thus creating a population of over 
     4,000,000 such mourners in the United States;
       Whereas the suicide completion rate per 100,000 persons has 
     remained relatively stable over the past 40 years for the 
     general population, and that rate has nearly tripled for 
     young persons;
       Whereas that suicide completion rate is highest for adults 
     over 65;
       Whereas the stigma associated with mental illness works 
     against suicide prevention by keeping persons at risk of 
     completing suicide from seeking lifesaving help;
       Whereas the stigma associated with suicide deaths seriously 
     inhibits surviving family members from regaining meaningful 
     lives;
       Whereas suicide deaths impose a huge unrecognized and 
     unmeasured economic burden on the United States in terms of 
     potential years of life lost, medical costs incurred, and 
     work time lost by mourners;
       Whereas suicide is a complex, multifaceted biological, 
     sociological, psychological, and societal problem;
       Whereas even though many suicides are currently 
     preventable, there is still a need for the development of 
     more effective suicide prevention programs;
       Whereas suicide prevention opportunities continue to 
     increase due to advances in clinical research, in mental 
     disorder treatments, and in basic neuroscience, and due to 
     the development of community-based initiatives that await 
     evaluation; and
       Whereas suicide prevention efforts should be encouraged to 
     the maximum extent possible: Now, therefore, be it
           Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes suicide as a national problem and declares 
     suicide prevention to be a national priority;
       (2) acknowledges that no single suicide prevention program 
     or effort will be appropriate for all populations or 
     communities;
       (3) encourages initiatives dedicated to--
       (A) preventing suicide;
       (B) responding to people at risk for suicide and people who 
     have attempted suicide;
       (C) promoting safe and effective treatment for persons at 
     risk for suicidal behavior;
       (D) supporting people who have lost someone to suicide; and
       (E) developing an effective national strategy for the 
     prevention of suicide; and
       (4) encourages the development, and the promotion of 
     accessibility and affordability, of mental health services, 
     to enable all persons at risk for suicide to obtain the 
     services, without fear of any stigma.

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