[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 5999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. KATKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to kick off May as National 
Mental Health Awareness Month.
  I stand here to bring attention to the dire need to improve the 
awareness and dialogue surrounding mental health. Far too long, we as a 
Nation have neglected mental health. It is one of our most critical 
health problems today.
  Mental illness occurs more frequently, affects more people, requires 
more prolonged treatment, and causes more suffering to individuals and 
families than most people could ever realize.
  I have personally witnessed and experienced the physical and 
emotional burden mental illness has on the individual and the family. A 
close family member of mine took their life at a very young age.
  Despite having major hospitals and universities in the Syracuse area, 
there simply are not enough mental health resources to help, especially 
in the pediatric realm. People in the central New York area often have 
to travel hours to receive inpatient care, disrupting lives, jobs, and 
families. Once released, the followup care is lacking, and oftentimes, 
the patient immediately regresses.
  Unfortunately, the lack of resources--in the case of central New 
York--is not an uncommon issue. As I acknowledge May as Mental Health 
Awareness Month, this Friday, May 1, I will launch a mental health task 
force based in New York's 24th District. The task force will be 
comprised of mental health leaders in the field, including hospitals 
and employees.

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