[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 5, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 23851-23852]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09574]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 5, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 23851]]


                Proclamation 10193 of April 30, 2021

                
National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Mental health is essential to our overall health, and 
                the importance of attending to mental health has become 
                even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic, 
                which has not only negatively impacted many people's 
                mental health but has also created barriers to 
                treatment.

                Millions of adults and children across America 
                experience mental health conditions, including anxiety, 
                depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and post-
                traumatic stress disorder. Nearly one in five Americans 
                lives with a mental health condition. Those living with 
                mental health conditions are our family, friends, 
                classmates, neighbors, and coworkers. Before the 
                Affordable Care Act, insurance companies could 
                discriminate against people based on pre-existing 
                conditions, including mental health conditions, and 
                mental health and substance use services were not 
                covered by insurance. Still discrimination against 
                those with mental health conditions in our society 
                remains, and can make it difficult to find and reach 
                out for help. While our Nation has made progress in 
                promoting mental health services, many communities face 
                pervasive barriers in accessing mental health care.

                The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis 
                has impacted the mental health of millions of 
                Americans. Isolation, sickness, grief, job loss, food 
                instability, and loss of routines has increased the 
                need for mental health services. At the same time, the 
                need to protect people from COVID-19 has made it more 
                challenging for people to access mental health 
                services, and harder for providers to deliver this 
                care.

                Even before COVID-19, the prevalence of mental health 
                conditions in our Nation was on the rise. In 2019, 
                nearly 52 million adults experienced some form of 
                mental illness. Recent data from the Centers for 
                Disease Control and Prevention indicates that one in 
                four adults reported experiencing symptoms of an 
                anxiety or depressive disorder in February 2021--a 
                significant increase from the prior year. Youth mental 
                health is also worsening, with nearly 10 percent of 
                America's youth reporting severe depression. We must 
                treat this as the public health crisis that it is and 
                reverse this trend.

                Too many people with mental health needs feel they have 
                nowhere to turn. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of 
                death in the United States and the second leading cause 
                of death for our Nation's youth today. Suicide rates 
                are disproportionately high among Black youth, and 
                LGBTQI+ persons are at disproportionate risk of death 
                by suicide as well as suicidal ideation, planning, and 
                attempts. My Administration is committed to advancing 
                suicide prevention best practices and improving non-
                punitive crisis response. Even as we build and enhance 
                existing systems for prevention and response within 
                communities, immediate assistance is available for 
                those in need of help by calling the National Suicide 
                Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or by calling 1-
                800-662-HELP.

                My Administration is committed to ensuring that people 
                living with mental health conditions are treated with 
                compassion, respect, and understanding. We must also 
                address the disparities that underserved communities, 
                especially communities of color, face and work to 
                ensure that everyone has access to affordable, quality, 
                and evidence-based mental health care.

[[Page 23852]]

                As President, I know that we can and must address these 
                critical issues, especially for those who have 
                shouldered the burden of standing on the front lines in 
                responding to the pandemic. That is why the American 
                Rescue Plan includes substantial investments to promote 
                mental health among the health care workforce. We are 
                also building on the progress made through the 21st 
                Century Cures Act by integrating mental health and 
                addiction treatment into primary care settings, 
                schools, and homes.

                My Administration is focused on building an improved, 
                expanded system of care for the mental health needs of 
                adults and children. This will require an increase in 
                the number of mental health professionals. Building on 
                a program in the American Rescue Plan, I have requested 
                $1 billion in funding to expand the number of school-
                based mental health professionals, including school 
                psychologists and counselors to address the mental 
                health needs of students. The American Rescue Plan also 
                delivered $3 billion for substance use and mental 
                health care block grants. These funds also ensure that 
                States provide pathways to prevention, intervention, 
                treatment, and recovery services--especially for 
                underserved communities. The American Rescue Plan also 
                included $420 million in funding to support Certified 
                Community Behavioral Health Clinics to expand access to 
                high-quality, evidence-based behavioral health 
                services. Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics 
                are also committed to involving peers and families, who 
                are essential to mental health recovery.

                My Administration is committed to ensuring that 
                everyone knows that they are not alone, that help 
                exists, and that we will provide the mental health 
                support needed to heal, recover, and thrive.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 2021 as 
                National Mental Health Awareness Month. I call upon 
                citizens, government agencies, organizations, 
                healthcare providers, and research institutions to 
                raise mental health awareness and continue helping 
                Americans live longer, healthier lives.

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

[FR Doc. 2021-09574
Filed 5-4-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P