[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18690-18691]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            THE HELPING FAMILIES IN MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, in a couple of days we will 
have a moment of silence in respect and memory of the victims of Sandy 
Hook Elementary. We need to take those moments to pause, reflect, and 
pray.
  However, afterwards, we cannot be silent on the need to get something 
done, on the need to pass comprehensive and meaningful legislation, and 
the need to help the mentally ill.
  Has the world changed since Newtown and the other tragedies?
  Sadly, little has been done to get those who need help the help they 
need. In the past few decades, this Nation has moved forward in 
knowledge of what it takes to help, but has moved backward in getting 
the help done. And where there is no help, there is no hope.
  We have fewer psychiatric hospital beds, fewer outpatient treatment 
options, restrictions on the use of medications that can and do help 
those who are mentally ill, too few psychiatrists and psychologists and 
clinical social workers, especially child and adolescent specialists, 
and especially ones who are trained and specialize in treating the 
seriously mentally ill.
  We have too many barriers that prevent doctors from communicating 
with parents of the sons and daughters with persistent serious mental 
illness.
  We have Federal barriers that block treatment, Federal dollars that 
go to grants for programs that do not work. The National Institute of 
Mental Health has insufficient money to engage in needed research.
  First responders who are called to deal with mental health crises 
have little or no training on what to do, and they miss critically 
important actions.
  Treatment delayed is treatment denied; and where there is no help, 
there is no hope.
  Today, I am introducing the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis 
Act. It increases access to trained professionals at community health 
centers and community mental health centers, and refocuses the 
government spending on programs that work and gets to the people that 
need it in communities and not remain in bureaucracies.
  It reforms government spending to eliminate redundancy and waste and 
refocuses us on getting evidence-based help. It brings scientific 
objectivity to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration.
  It opens up the door of communication between doctors and parents and 
legal guardians of those with mental illness. It increases inpatient 
treatment options and availability. No more being told that there are 
no more beds. Take your son or daughter home, no matter how much they 
are at risk of hurting you or themselves.
  It increases outpatient treatment options. It increases 
pharmaceutical treatment options. It reduces the warehousing of our 
persistently and seriously mentally ill in jails or homelessness.
  It improves communication between primary care providers, 
psychiatrists, psychologists, and licensed mental health practitioners. 
It increases mental health courts. It provides training for first 
responders, and it gathers essential and critically important 
information on the relationship between

[[Page 18691]]

mental illness and violence and victimization.
  Bottom line: if we want to change these trends in victimization of 
the mentally ill and the persistently mentally ill; if we want to 
reduce the high number of suicides, homicide and assaults; if we want 
to get people treatment, not jail time, and not abandonment; if we want 
to help the tens of millions of people with mental illness and the 
hundreds of millions of friends and relatives who are emotionally and 
financially strained by the untreated problems of mental illness; if we 
want to prevent the Newtowns, Tucsons, Auroras, Pittsburghs, and 
Columbines, we have to do something comprehensive, research based, and 
we have to do it now.
  What we need is not only for Congress to act, but during these next 
few weeks, while Congressmen and -women are back home, we need to hear 
from every doctor and first responder and teacher and parent and 
patient and consumer that we must act thoroughly and thoughtfully and 
must act now.
  Those who need the help the most have the most trouble getting the 
help they need, and where there is no help there is no hope. We can and 
must and we will take mental illness out of the shadows of ignorance, 
despair, and neglect, and into that bright light of hope.
  So I ask my colleagues to support this bill, the Helping Families and 
Mental Health Crisis Act, because treatment and action delayed is 
treatment denied.
  Let us help American families get the help they need because where 
there is no help, there is no hope.

                          ____________________