[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 85 (Thursday, May 4, 2017)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 21103-21104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-09209]



[[Page 21101]]

Vol. 82

Thursday,

No. 85

May 4, 2017

Part IV





The President





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Proclamation 9603--National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2017



Proclamation 9604--Law Day, U.S.A., 2017
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  Federal Register / Vol. 82 , No. 85 / Thursday, May 4, 2017 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 21103]]

                Proclamation 9603 of May 1, 2017

                
National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2017

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                National Mental Health Awareness Month is a time to 
                recognize the millions of American families affected by 
                mental illness and to redouble our efforts to ensure 
                that those who are suffering get the care and treatment 
                they need. Nearly 10 million Americans suffer from a 
                serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar 
                disorder, or major depression. Unfortunately, 
                approximately 60 percent of adults and 50 percent of 
                adolescents with mental illness do not get the 
                treatment or other services they need. As a result, 
                instead of receiving ongoing expert psychiatric care, 
                these individuals often find themselves in emergency 
                rooms, prisons, or living on the streets.

                This month, and for the course of my Administration, I 
                am committed to working with the Department of Health 
                and Human Services, States, and communities throughout 
                the country to find a better answer for the millions of 
                Americans who need mental health services and their 
                families. We must further empower States, law 
                enforcement, first responders, doctors, and families to 
                help those with the most severe mental illnesses; to 
                ensure that people with mental illness have access to 
                evidence-based treatment and services; and to fight the 
                stigma associated with mental illness, which can 
                prevent people from seeking care. We must also resolve 
                to enhance our understanding of mental illness and its 
                relationship to other complex societal challenges, 
                including homelessness, substance abuse, and suicide; 
                and we reaffirm our commitment to improving prevention, 
                diagnosis, and treatment through innovative medical 
                strategies.

                Addressing substance abuse, addiction, and overdose is 
                often critical to improving mental health outcomes. An 
                estimated 8.1 million adults in America suffering with 
                a mental illness also struggle with substance abuse. 
                Many of those who struggled with both were among the 
                52,000 people in our country who died from a drug 
                overdose in 2015. Approximately 44,000 Americans took 
                their own lives in the past year, a preventable tragedy 
                that frequently correlates with mental illness and 
                substance abuse.

                On May 4, 2017, my Administration, along with more than 
                160 organizations and 1,100 communities, will 
                commemorate National Children's Mental Health Awareness 
                Day. At this national event, Health and Human Services 
                Secretary Tom Price will give special recognition 
                awards to Awareness Day Honorary Chairpersons and 
                United States Olympic champions Michael Phelps and 
                Allison Schmitt for speaking openly about their 
                behavioral health challenges and for encouraging young 
                Americans to lead healthy lives. The event will help 
                promote the importance of National Mental Health 
                Awareness Month, providing Americans with resources 
                related to treatment and services for mental health and 
                substance abuse.

                No American should suffer in silence and solitude. 
                During Mental Health Awareness Month, I encourage all 
                Americans to seek to better understand mental illness 
                and to look for opportunities to help those with mental 
                health issues. We must support those in need and remain 
                committed to hope and healing. Through compassion and 
                committed action, we will enrich the spirit of the 
                American people and improve the well-being of our 
                Nation.

[[Page 21104]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim May 2017 as National 
                Mental Health Awareness Month. I call upon all 
                Americans to support citizens suffering from mental 
                illness, raise awareness of mental health conditions 
                through appropriate programs and activities, and commit 
                our Nation to innovative prevention, diagnosis, and 
                treatment.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand 
                seventeen, and of the Independence of the United States 
                of America the two hundred and forty-first.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2017-09209
Filed 5-3-17; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F7-P