[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 131, 115th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
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

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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.
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.
DONALD J. TRUMP