,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #eef  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,april #bi1 #bjad   
,mr4 ,murphy of ,pennsylvania 7for      
himself1 ,mr4 ,thompson of              
,pennsylvania1 ,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,ms4   
,bordallo1 ,mr4 ,honda1 ,ms4 ,speier1   
,ms4 ,brown of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,levin1   
,mr4 ,barber1 ,ms4 ,brownley of         
,california1 ,mrs4 ,miller of ,michigan1
 ,mr4 ,tonko1 and ,mr4 ,perlmutter7     
submitted the following resolution2     
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,energy and ,commerce  ,,resolution     
,expressing support for the designation 
of ,may #bjad as ,mental ,health ,month4
  ,whereas the mental health and        
well-being of people in the ,united     
,states is a critical issue that affects
 not only quality of life1 but also the 
health of communities1 families1 and    
economic stability2 ,whereas individuals
 with mental illness and behavioral     
health disorders can and do recover     
utilizing treatment regimens1 including 

psychosocial therapies1 medications1    
peer support and clinical help2 as well 
as other behavioral1 psychiatric1       
psychological1 and medical services2    
,whereas parents1 families1 and         
caregivers are allies in recovery and   
serve as critical members of the care   
delivery team2 ,whereas advances in     
brain and behavioral research show      
significant promise for continued       
improvements in effective treatments of 
mental illness2 ,whereas #dc4g million  
,american adults experience mental      
illness2 ,whereas approximately #a in #e
 children and adolescents has a         
diagnosable mental disorder2 ,whereas   
#i4f million ,american adults experience
 conditions such as schizophrenia1      
bipolar disorder1 and major depression2 
,whereas #c4f million ,american adults  
with a diagnosis of serious mental      
illness do not receive treatment2       
,whereas post-traumatic stress disorder 
7,,ptsd7 afflicts #ae to #bj percent of 
veterans of the war in ,afghanistan and 

#bj percent of ,iraqi war veterans2     
,whereas roughly #bj to #ej percent of  
all prison and jail inmates are         
diagnosed with a mental illness and     
,united ,states prisons are home to ten 
times more people with mental illness   
than psychiatric hospitals2 ,whereas    
mental illness is the leading cause of  
disability in the ,nation2 ,whereas     
untreated mental illness is a leading   
cause of absenteeism and lost           
productivity in the workplace and costs 
the ,united ,states economy over #aic   
billion per year in lost earnings2      
,whereas suicide is the second leading  
cause of death among individuals between
 the ages of #be and #cd2 ,whereas the  
rate of suicide among the elderly is    
higher than for any other age group2    
,whereas #a in #d ,latino adolescents   
report contemplating suicide1 a rate    
higher than any other demographic2      
,whereas ,native ,americans currently   
rank as the top ethnicity for suicide   
rates nationwide2 ,whereas studies      

report that people with serious mental  
illness die1 on average1 #be years      
earlier than the general population2    
,whereas those with mental illness are  
#c to #d times more likely to be the    
victims of crime and abuse2 ,whereas    
lack of awareness of one's mental       
illness1 known as anosognosia1 affects  
approximately #ej percent of individuals
 with schizophrenia and #dj percent of  
individuals with bipolar disorder making
 it more challenging to receive care2   
,whereas the delay between a first      
episode of psychosis and onset of       
treatment is an average of #aaj weeks2  
,whereas stigma associated with mental  
illness continues to persist2 ,whereas  
recovery-oriented interventions such as 
supported employment1 supported housing1
 and supported education have been shown
 to improve outcomes2 ,whereas          
individuals engaged in peer recovery    
support services utilize crisis and     
emergency services less2 and ,whereas it
 would be appropriate to observe ,may   

#bjad as ,mental ,health ,month3 ,now1  
therefore1 be it  ,that the ,house of   
,representatives--  7#a7 supports the   
designation of ,mental ,health ,month to
 remove the stigma associated with      
mental illness and place emphasis on    
scientific findings regarding mental    
health recovery2  7#b7 recognizes mental
 well-being is equally as important as  
physical well-being for citizens1       
communities1 businesses1 and the economy
 in the ,united ,states2  7#c7 applauds 
the coalescing of national and community
 organizations in working to promote    
public awareness of mental health and   
providing critical information and      
support to the people and families      
affected by mental illness2  7#d7       
supports the finding of the ,president's
 ,commission on ,mental ,health that the
 ,nation's failure to prioritize mental 
health is a national tragedy2 and  7#e7 
encourages all organizations and health 
practitioners to use ,mental ,health    
,month as an opportunity to promote     

mental well-being and awareness1 ensure 
access to appropriate services1 and     
support overall quality of life for     
those living with mental illness4