[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H7273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         MENTAL HEALTH FUNDING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. While our Nation still grieves the loss 
of so many children and teachers and others in Connecticut, it is a 
time for Congress to begin a thoughtful dialogue on what we can do to 
deal with these mass-casualty incidences in our country. They have been 
going on for some time; but perhaps when we see the faces of children, 
principals, teachers and others, it will burn upon our hearts and 
motivate us to take further action. I want to make sure, Mr. Speaker, 
that Congress takes the appropriate action in a thoughtful, willful, 
determined way and that it doesn't jump to quick conclusions as if 
simple fixes will prevent this from happening.
  First, to the parents of children across America who are asking 
questions, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to offer some of this advice, and also 
in my background as a psychologist, it's important for people to 
remember this:
  Parents should be asking their children what they have heard about 
the incident. We should listen to their concerns and their emotions. We 
should answer their questions with age-appropriate information. We 
should support and comfort and reassure them of their safety at home 
and at school. We should observe and watch for symptoms of problems, 
such as changes in appetite, such as sleep issues, worries, aggression, 
anger, and sadness. We should protect our children from other media 
exposure and information that creates more fear and problems;
  It is important for parents to call for professional help for their 
children if they are showing some concerns and symptoms of this beyond 
simple adjustment. For parents who have children who also have anger 
disorders, it is important for parents to review with school personnel 
locally how their schools are handling security and providing 
counseling assistance at school;
  It is important for parents to pay attention to their own concerns 
and worries and to, over time, keep watch as concerns and symptoms may 
come later--even for those who are far distant from the location where 
this occurred.
  For my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, I recommend that we remove the stigma 
surrounding mental illness in our talk about it and that we, first and 
foremost, address this as a mental health issue. We must commit to 
expanding access for those who are unable to receive treatment. If 
parents are not sure what to do, we need to provide them with 
information and assistance to get their children help. We have to 
review a wide range of things, such as television violence and video 
games in relation to violent behavior. We have to make sure that we are 
reviewing research that is being done with the National Institutes of 
Health, the National Institute of Mental Health, and our universities 
across the country. What we do not yet have is an answer to 
understanding how we can accurately predict those who will perform 
violent acts.
  It is also important to understand that, for mentally ill persons, it 
is a diagnosable and treatable condition, that in the vast majority of 
cases there is no violence involved, and that, as a matter of fact, 
those with mental illness are 11 times more likely to be the victims of 
aggression rather than the sources of aggression. We can understand 
some of the risks: these often times are people between the ages of 15 
and 25, and they generally tend to be males, intelligent; but we need 
to make sure we are identifying and providing resources for care for 
the families.
  At the Federal Government level, I also recommend that Congress use a 
thoughtful approach in reviewing every single mental health program 
that we fund. In the Department of Justice, the Department of 
Education, Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense, we 
need a thorough and thoughtful review of what we spend and how it is 
spent even if it gets down to the level of family and community.
  Understand, for example, in the Children's Mental Health Services 
program, it was funded at $117 million in fiscal year 2012. The 
President has proposed a cut of nearly $29 million of this; and with 
sequestration, it will be cut by a further $8 million. Should we make 
those cuts? Is that a program that is using this money effectively and 
efficiently? Let's talk about these in a candid and honest way with 
Members of Congress and the community.
  Let's also understand that about 58 million Americans suffer from a 
mental disorder in a given year. About one in four people will have 
some diagnosable illness; and if one seeks treatment, one can get help. 
We also need to understand that, with psychotropic medication, over 70 
percent of the time it is prescribed by a non-psychiatrist. With 
persons who have other problems with that--drug interactions--or who 
have other problems not quite dealt with, it is important to make sure 
that insurance plans funded by the Federal Government, State 
governments, and private insurers are appropriately allowing people to 
be treated for this.
  We have many directions in which we need to go on this. Let's make 
sure we don't go in the wrong direction.

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