[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9553]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
 EXPAND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING EMOTIONAL TRAUMA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, last week's shooting in 
Alexandria left our friend and colleague Mr. Steve Scalise badly 
wounded. Two brave U.S. Capitol Police officers and a young 
congressional staffer were also injured. We continue to pray for their 
quick and their full recovery.
  I know that other Members, other staff members, their friends, their 
families have been affected by this, too. Too often, after a shooting 
or some other traumatic event, we focus on those injuries that are 
physical, the ones we can see, while forgetting about those injuries we 
can't see.
  I continue to practice psychology in the Navy at Walter Reed Hospital 
in Bethesda, where I work with veterans who suffer from post-traumatic 
stress disorder, or PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. These veterans 
come back from witnessing traumatic events while in combat, and some 
have come close to committing suicide. These brave men and women fight 
every day against the horrific images that replay in their minds. The 
wound is invisible; the damage is often long term. They can and do 
recover with help.
  Since last week, I have thought about other groups who witness trauma 
in their homes and in their neighborhoods. These are the forgotten 
ones: young kids in Chicago who have become desensitized to the sound 
of a gunshot or the sounds of police sirens throughout the night, 
victims of sexual assault on college campuses and elsewhere, children 
who witness domestic abuse, and youth in foster care.
  Most youth in foster care have traumatic family histories and life 
experiences, including their removal from the birth family, resulting 
in an increased risk for mental health disorders. A recent study 
published in Pediatrics found that children placed in foster care were 
three to five times more likely to suffer from mental health problems 
such as depression and attention deficit disorder than children who 
were never in foster care.
  Another study revealed that PTSD was diagnosed 60 percent of the time 
in sexually abused children and 42 percent of the time in physically 
abused children. A staggering 18 percent of foster children have never 
been the primary victim of abuse, yet they still suffer from PTSD 
probably because they witnessed domestic or community violence.
  The American Academy of Pediatrics Healthy Foster Care America 
initiative identifies mental and behavioral health as the ``greatest 
unmet health need for children and teens in foster care.'' And since 
most of these kids are not receiving mental health treatment, their 
problems carry on into adulthood.
  Adults who formerly were placed in foster care, known as foster care 
alumni, have disproportionately high rates of emotional and behavioral 
disorders; 21.5 percent of foster care alumni suffer from PTSD compared 
to just 4.5 percent of the general population.
  Each year more than 20,000 young people age out of foster care 
without being ready to live independently. Discharged from care without 
social support or assistance, these youth are at higher risk for drug 
use and mental illness, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress, 
and others. Too often they experience higher rates of unemployment, 
homelessness, and dependence on public assistance programs.
  A lack of a comprehensive mental health screening of all children 
entering out-of-home care and the need for more thorough identification 
of youth with emotional and behavioral disorders contribute to these 
dismal statistics. As well, insufficient youth access to high-quality 
mental health services highlights our Nation's shortage of providers, 
in that half the counties in America have no psychologists, no 
psychiatrists, no clinical social workers, or workers who are licensed 
as substance abuse providers.
  Given the evidence from studies indicating that children in care have 
significant developmental, behavioral, and emotional problems, quality 
services for these children are an essential societal investment.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud that the House yesterday took up legislation 
to address this important issue. H.R. 2847, the Improving Services for 
Older Youth in Foster Care Act, expands and improves the John H. Chafee 
Independence Program, which helps current and former foster care youth 
achieve self-sufficiency. Specifically, the bill will widen the age 
range of foster youth who can receive assistance under the program.
  I am proud to support this bill and will continue to shed light on 
those who suffer from trauma, who, as a consequence, suffer from either 
PTSD, depression, or other emotional sequelae. These bills we voted on 
will continue to give our foster children both help and hope.

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