[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21469]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING NATIONAL MENTAL ILLNESS AWARENESS WEEK

  (Ms. HERSETH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. HERSETH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Mental 
Illness Awareness Week, an opportunity to educate ourselves and our 
constituents about mental illness in America.
  One of the first pieces of legislation I cosponsored in this body was 
the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, which requires parity for 
mental health services under private insurance plans. But this 
legislation would do something else. It would move us one step closer 
to eradicating the undue stigma often associated with mental illness.
  As many as 1 in 5 children and adolescents suffer from mental illness 
in the United States, but many go untreated because of feelings of 
shame or guilt, or because parents, schools, and communities lack the 
information and resources essential to prevent the worsening of mental 
health problems and for early detection, and to improve treatment 
outcomes.
  Many Americans, when diagnosed with a mental illness, confront both a 
frightening disease and a public that can be uninformed about the 
nature of their illness. Through educational campaigns like the 
National Mental Illness Awareness Week and smart, targeted policy 
initiatives, we can look forward to overcoming the stigma associated 
with mental illness in our communities and make life a little easier 
for all Americans suffering from mental illness and for their families 
as well.

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