[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 23, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5309-S5310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AWARENESS DAY
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 541, and
that the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 541) designating June 27, 2010, as
``National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day.''
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to; that a Conrad amendment to the preamble be
agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; the motions to
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or
debate; and that any statements relating to the resolution be printed
in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution was agreed to.
The amendment (No. 4393) was agreed to as follows:
Strike the preamble and insert the following:
Whereas the brave men and women of the United States Armed
Forces, who proudly serve the United States, risk their lives
to protect the freedom of the United States and deserve the
investment of every reasonable resource to ensure their
lasting physical, mental, and emotional well-being;
Whereas up to 15 percent of Operation Iraqi Freedom and
Operation Enduring Freedom veterans, 10 percent of Operation
Desert Storm veterans, 30 percent of Vietnam veterans, and 8
percent of the general population of the United States suffer
or have suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(referred to in this preamble as ``PTSD'');
Whereas the incidence of PTSD in members of the military is
rising as the United States Armed Forces conducts 2 wars,
exposing hundreds of thousands of soldiers to traumatic life-
threatening events;
Whereas from 2000 to 2009, approximately 76,000 Department
of Defense patients were diagnosed with PTSD;
Whereas the Department of Defense patients--
(1) were hospitalized more than 5,300 times with a primary
diagnosis of PTSD; and
(2) had more than 578,000 outpatient visits in which PTSD
was the primary diagnosis;
Whereas PTSD significantly increases the risk of
depression, suicide, and drug and alcohol related disorders
and deaths;
Whereas the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs
have made significant advances in the prevention, diagnosis,
and treatment of PTSD and the symptoms of PTSD, but many
challenges remain; and
Whereas the establishment of a National Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder Awareness Day will raise public awareness
about issues related to PTSD: Now, therefore, be it
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, as amended, is as follows:
[[Page S5310]]
S. Res. 541
Whereas the brave men and women of the United States Armed
Forces, who proudly serve the United States, risk their lives
to protect the freedom of the United States and deserve the
investment of every possible resource to ensure their lasting
physical, mental, and emotional well-being;
Whereas 12 percent of Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans, 11
percent of Operation Enduring Freedom veterans, 10 percent of
Operation Desert Storm veterans, 30 percent of Vietnam
veterans, and at least 8 percent of the general population of
the United States suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(referred to in this preamble as ``PTSD'');
Whereas the incidence of PTSD in members of the military is
rising as the United States Armed Forces conducts 2 wars,
exposing hundreds of thousands of soldiers to traumatic life-
threatening events;
Whereas women, who are more than twice as likely to
experience PTSD than men, are increasingly engaged in direct
combat on the front lines, putting these women at even
greater risk of PTSD;
Whereas--
(1) from 2003 to 2007, approximately 40,000 Department of
Defense patients were diagnosed with PTSD; and
(2) from 2000 to 2009--
(A) more than 5,000 individuals were hospitalized with a
primary diagnosis of PTSD; and
(B) more than 500,000 individuals were treated for PTSD in
outpatient visits;
Whereas PTSD significantly increases the risk of
depression, suicide, and drug and alcohol related disorders
and deaths;
Whereas the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs
have made significant advances in the prevention, diagnosis,
and treatment of PTSD and the symptoms of PTSD, but many
challenges remain; and
Whereas the establishment of a National Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder Awareness Day will raise public awareness
about issues related to PTSD: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates June 27, 2010, as ``National Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder Awareness Day'';
(2) urges the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the
Secretary of Defense to continue working to educate
servicemembers, veterans, the families of servicemembers and
veterans, and the public about the causes, symptoms, and
treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder; and
(3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate
transmit a copy of this resolution to the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense.
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