[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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