[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 79 (Monday, May 24, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3709-H3712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MENTAL HEALTH MONTH
Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
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the resolution (H. Res. 1258) expressing support for designation of May
2010 as Mental Health Month, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1258
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 may
have a diagnosable mental disorder;
Whereas more than a quarter of the members of the United
States Armed Forces suffer from psychological or neurological
injuries sustained from combat, including major depression
and post-traumatic stress disorder;
Whereas more than half of all prison and jail inmates
suffer from 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 2006, over 33,300 individuals died by suicide
in the United States, nearly twice the rate of homicide;
Whereas suicide is the third leading cause of death among
youth between the ages of 15 and 24;
Whereas, in 2006, individuals age 65 and older comprised
only 12.4 percent of the population but accounted for 15.9
percent of all suicides;
Whereas 1 in 4 Latina 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; and
Whereas it would be appropriate to observe May 2010 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 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 recovery from mental illness is a real
possibility and steps can be taken to improve the lives of
those living with mental illnesses, which will benefit
American families, communities, schools, and workplaces; and
(5) encourages 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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Matsui) and the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr.
Wilson) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
General Leave
Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution
1258. This resolution expresses support for the designation of this
month, the month of May, as Mental Health Month.
We all know it, but sometimes we forget that mental health is
absolutely essential to the overall health of every single person in
this country. Mental health is an important contributor to the health
of our communities, our families and even to our economy.
Mental illness affects 57 million people in the United States, Madam
Speaker. The people impacted by mental illness are workers, their
bosses, their employees, their mothers and fathers, sisters and
brothers and close friends.
And increasingly, they are children. One in every five children and
adolescents may have a diagnosable mental disorder.
Mental illnesses are clinically indicated, and they range from
bipolar disorder to bulimia and other eating disorders to anxiety-
related conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder. These illnesses
affect all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. They can strike at
any place and at any time.
However, certain groups in our country appear to be more vulnerable
to mental illness than others. For example, Latina adolescents have a
higher suicide rate than any other demographic. And one-quarter of the
members of our Armed Forces suffer from psychological or neurological
injuries sustained during combat. This is a problem that we cannot and
we must not ignore.
Madam Speaker, we know that mental illness is becoming more and more
common in the United States and around the world. We know that mental
illnesses have biological causes, and we know that the vast majority of
mental illnesses can be treated. And yet people with mental illness
continue to live under a stigma that surrounds those who fight diseases
of the mind.
Today's resolution gives this House a valuable opportunity to help
our constituents understand the biological basis for many mental
disorders. It salutes the important work of national and community
organizations who promote public awareness of mental illness and who
help fight the unfair stigma associated with mental disease.
House Resolution 1258 also encourages health providers and
organizations to promote mental well-being and to ensure that people
with mental illness have access to the services that can literally save
their lives.
This and previous Congresses have taken important and necessary steps
to improve access to mental health services. Personally, I look forward
to working with my colleagues to increase access to community-based
mental health services.
In my hometown of Sacramento, the community-based mental health
system is crumbling under the weight of severe budget cuts and ever-
increasing demand for services.
We here in Washington cannot sit idly by as vital community services
are slashed. Those whose very lives depend on a trained and
understanding mental health provider are counting on us, and this
resolution honors those who have dedicated their lives to treating
others with mental illness.
I want to commend Representative Napolitano, the sponsor of this
resolution and co-chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, for
her leadership on this important health issue.
I would also like to commend my Energy and Commerce Committee
colleague, Representative Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, for working so
closely with Mrs. Napolitano on the Mental Health Caucus.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of
House Resolution 1258, acknowledging the month of May as National
Mental Health Month because it has helped raise awareness in our
communities, which has contributed to removing the stigma associated
with mental illness.
I would like to express my thanks to the organizations working to
promote awareness of mental health and to educate families affected by
mental illness. As a former president myself of the Mid Carolina Mental
Health Association, I know firsthand of its success and significance.
I also appreciate my oldest son, Alan Wilson, has served on the
Mental Health Association State Board. Your work is critical to
increasing the quality of life for those with mental illness.
I am grateful to also work with Hidden Wounds, founded by Ann Bigham,
a volunteer organization in Columbia, South Carolina, which provides
services for our military and veterans who are successfully defeating
terrorism overseas.
I would like to thank the author of the resolution, Congresswoman
Grace Napolitano of California, for her leadership in helping
Americans' well-being and addressing mental disorders.
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I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano), the sponsor of this
resolution.
Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank both the
congresswoman from California (Ms. Matsui) and the congressman from
South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) for talking about H. Res. 1258, recognizing
May as Mental Health Month.
As you've heard, there are many instances where we ignore this fact,
and we are currently trying to erase the stigma. That's the biggest
issue that we have in the United States.
Today we must continue to shed light on those who suffer in silence
with mental illness. It knows no boundaries. As you've heard, it goes
into any race, any gender, any class, any religion, any political
party, everywhere. It does not discriminate.
Every day our children, our soldiers, our veterans, our family
members, our coworkers and friends carry their wounds and pain on the
inside. It is an invisible illness that often goes unseen and
unmentioned, even as it leaves a trail of devastation in its wake.
Recent reports show that military suicide has claimed more lives of
our servicemen and -women than the Afghan war, and that approximately
one in five servicemembers suffer from major depression or post-
traumatic syndrome. It is now recognized by military leaders that there
is a great big issue, and they're trying to provide services to those
men and women so that they can return to semi-normal life when they
return to their respective residences.
Also, findings by the National Alliance of Mental Illness, NAMI, show
that most mental illnesses are highly treatable, yet only one in three
individuals suffering from mental illness seek or receive treatment. We
must protect our soldiers' and their families' right to effective
mental health services. They have earned it protecting our freedom.
Today, suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth ages 15-
24. Again, third leading cause of death for youth ages 15-24. With each
young life lost to suicide, we lose some of our Nation's future. We
must continue to de-stigmatize mental illness so that all individuals,
including our youth, know that it is okay, it's not shameful to ask for
help and receive the treatment needed, because no child should ever
feel this world would be a better place without them.
The mental health and well-being of all Americans are critical issues
that affect not only the quality of life and health of our communities,
but as importantly, our national economic stability.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, serious
illnesses cost Americans at least $193 billion, with a ``b,'' billion a
year in lost earnings alone, never mind what businesses lose in over
$500 billion a year.
{time} 1415
Mental illness is also the leading cause of absenteeism and lost
productivity in the workplace. We need to learn how to prevent suicide.
We must take those classes, and we must learn what those signs are so
that we can begin to at least address those issues with our own, if not
those near us.
I respectfully encourage all my colleagues to support this resolution
and thereby recognize May as Mental Health Month. Knowledge and
prevention are key to continue eradicating the myths and stigma behind
mental illness. If allowed to go ignored and untreated, this will only
pass on to our future generations. We must unite on this critical issue
and recognize the scientific facts and findings of mental illness to
ensure access to professional help, including early detection and
intervention.
In closing, I leave you with words from two young women from my
district whose lives have been saved by a suicide prevention program we
started in 2001. From Patty, 15 years old: ``Thank God we have this
program, because if I didn't have this treatment, I would be dead at
this time.'' From Ofelia, 17 years old: ``After my mom and dad died in
an accident, I wanted to die. This program and my therapist helped me
to go off my depression and two suicide attempts.'' These are just more
reminders of who we must represent and who we must continue to try to
help and why we were elected to serve everybody.
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, as we are recognizing
Mental Health Month, I would also like to commend the National Alliance
for Mentally Ill, NAMI. I was honored earlier this month to participate
in the Mental Health Walk at the Riverwalk in West Columbia in the
Midlands of south Carolina. The walk itself was organized by Buddy
Wier. It was amazing to see hundreds of persons participate. There was
competition between different businesses and the businesses
participating. It was just really heartwarming to see such an
outpouring of community support.
I look forward in October. The Mental Health Walk by NAMI will be on
the beaches at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; and I look forward
to participating at that time, again raising awareness of mental health
issues and how communities and civic organizations and individuals can
help persons who have mental health issues.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues,
Representative Napolitano, Representative Murphy, for their work on
this resolution and mental health issues in general. And I would like
to thank my colleague from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).
This resolution represents one small step toward a future where the
serious burden of mental illness is but a thing of the past. I urge my
colleagues to support this resolution.
Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for
designation of May 2010 as Mental Health Month. Designating May 2010 as
Mental Health Month in America is a much needed step to help bring
attention to the various challenges that the mentally ill face on a day
to day basis which include not having access to appropriate medical
care, affordable housing, job opportunities, and over-all economic
security.
More than 57,000,000 people in the United States suffer from mental
illness. Approximately 1 in 5 children and adolescents has a
diagnosable mental disorder. A quarter of the members of the United
States Armed Forces suffer from psychological or neurological injuries
sustained from combat, including major depression and post-traumatic
stress disorder. Tragically, more than half of all prison and jail
inmates suffer from mental illness. It is also the leading cause of
disability in the America. In 2005, over 32,000 individuals died by
suicide in the United States, nearly twice the rate of homicide.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth between the
ages of 15 and 24. In 2004, individuals age 65 and older comprised only
12.4 percent of the population, but accounted for 16.6 percent of all
suicides.
Sadly, there are too many Americans with serious mental illness who
do not have access to high quality and long-term mental health
treatment, and fall through the cracks of our fragmented and
underfunded mental health system. This is because the U.S. does not yet
have a comprehensive and effective federal mental health system that
can provide a single standard of high quality mental health treatment
for all of our Nation's mentally ill--regardless of one's income or
employment status.
The uninsured, underinsured, or Americans with low-incomes often
receive their mental health services in emergency rooms, or in
hospitals where they are ``stabilized,'' and then released with little
or no follow-up care, medication, or housing services. This creates a
``revolving door'' cycle of hospitalizations, homelessness,
unemployment, arrests, and incarceration that is the result of having
an underfunded mental health system where mental health professionals
do not have the optimal resources they need to provide medically
appropriate care for the mentally ill and their families.
Many of our Nation's mentally ill become homeless, or are forced to
live with family members or friends, because they can not afford
housing due to skimpy Social Security Disability Checks, or the
inability to maintain employment. Clearly, America must have a robust
Federal affordable housing and employment program for the mentally ill,
so those with mental illnesses have access to affordable housing, a
job, and the respect and dignity that goes with being self-sufficient
and productive.
Tragically, there are many uninsured or underinsured mentally ill
Americans who can not afford to take medications for such debilitating
illnesses as bipolar manic depression. This creates untold stress on
families and friends who must deal with the unpredictable
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and often inappropriate behaviors of the mentally ill who can become a
danger to themselves or others if they do not take their medication on
a regular basis.
I also urge my colleagues to support H.R. 676, ``The United States
National Health Care Act,'' which would create a universal health care
system where all mental health services would be fully covered, and
there would be optimal funding for mental health facilities so the
mentally ill could receive the long term and appropriate care needed to
get well, and have a better quality of life.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in
support of H. Res. 1258, in expressing support for designation of May
2010 as Mental Health Month.
The time has come to pay special recognition to the needs and
shortfalls that are associated with mental health in the United States.
Mental health and the well-being of people of the United States is a
critical issue that affects not only quality of life, but also the
health of communities, families, and economic stability. Often it is
the youngest among us, our children, which suffer from the lingering
stigma of mental illness. Words, that make fun of those diagnosed with
mental health can sometimes create a sense of shame, feelings of guilt,
and loss of self esteem.
Statistically, the figures associated with mental health are quite
staggering. It is estimated that more than 57 million people in the
United States suffer from mental illness. Furthermore, 1 in 5 children
and adolescents have a diagnosable mental order. And in 2005 alone,
over 32,000 individuals died by suicide in the United States, nearly
twice the rate of homicide. The goals of Mental Health Month are to
bring these figures to light in order to draw more attention and
support for addressing this health crisis.
From my time as a psychiatric nurse in the Dallas Veteran Affair's
Hospital, I know firsthand the burden placed upon those who serve in
our armed forces suffering from mental illness. More than a quarter of
the members of the United States Armed Forces suffer from psychological
or neurological injuries sustained from combat, including major
depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. For far too long the
disparities of taking care of our veterans in regards to mental health
went unaddressed, and too many suffered because of it.
In closing, I encourage 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.
Ms. MATSUI. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution,
H. Res. 1258, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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