Expressing support for the designation of May 2021 as "Mental Health Awareness Month".

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 365 Expressing support for the designation of May 2021 as ‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 30, 2021 Mrs. NAPOLITANO (for herself, Mr. KATKO, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. TONKO, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. O’HALLERAN, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. MOULTON, Ms. CHU, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. SIRES, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. LIEU, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mrs. WATSON COLE- MAN, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. BEYER, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. TRONE, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, and Mr. GRIJALVA) sub- mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Expressing support for the designation of May 2021 as ‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’. Whereas the coronavirus (COVID–19) public health emer- gency is taking a toll on our constituents’ mental well- being and understandably may be stressful for many Americans; Whereas we are witnessing how fear and anxiety about a dis- ease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in both adults and children; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR365.IH HR365 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 365 IH Whereas the Joint Economic Committee released a report in October 2020 on the coronavirus and how it is worsening America’s mental health crisis; Whereas the September 2020 United States Census Bureau survey found that 37 percent of American adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression disorder, triple the percentage reported in 2019; Whereas the June 2020 Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention (CDC) survey found that 11 percent of adults have considered suicide in the past 30 days, more than double the share in 2019; Whereas the August 14, 2020, CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that— (1) symptoms of anxiety disorder and depressive dis- order increased considerably in the United States during the period of April to June 2020 compared with the same period in 2019; and (2) during late June 2020, 40 percent of American adults reported struggling with mental health or sub- stance use, 31 percent experienced anxiety/depression symptoms, 26 percent experienced trauma/stressor-re- lated disorder symptoms (TSRD), 13 percent started or increased substance use, and 11 percent seriously consid- ered suicide; Whereas the ‘‘Stress in America 2020: A National Mental Health Crisis’’ poll found that— (1) nearly 1 in 5 adults saw their mental health worsen in the last year; (2) 34 percent of Generation Z (Gen Z) adults, 21 percent of Generation X, 19 percent of Millennials, 12 percent of Baby Boomers, and 8 percent of older adults reported worsening mental health; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR365.IH HR365 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 365 IH (3) 61 percent of adults stated they could have used more emotional support than they received over the prior 12 months; Whereas there was a 1,000-percent increase in April 2020 on a Federal emergency hotline for people in emotional dis- tress; Whereas, according to the Pew Research Center, more than a third of Americans have experienced high levels of psy- chological distress at some point during the extended pe- riod of social distancing; Whereas the Census Bureau’s 2020 Household Pulse Survey found that— (1) 47 percent of women reported symptoms of anx- iety or depressive disorder compared to 38 percent of men in December 2020; and (2) 56 percent of young adults have reported symp- toms of anxiety or depressive disorder as of December 2020; Whereas the August 14, 2020, CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that— (1) 25 percent of young adults reported they started or had increased substance use during the pandemic, compared to 13 percent of all adults; and (2) 26 percent of young adults reported thoughts of suicide, compared to 11 percent of all adults; Whereas the ‘‘Stress in America 2020: A National Mental Health Crisis’’ poll found that 81 percent of Gen Z teens, ages 13 to 17, report they have experienced negative im- pacts of pandemic-related school closures, and 87 percent of Gen Z adults in college report education is a signifi- cant source of stress in their lives; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR365.IH HR365 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 365 IH Whereas the November 13, 2020, CDC Morbidity and Mor- tality Weekly Report found that between March and Oc- tober 2020 there was a 24 percent increase nationwide in mental health-related emergency room visits among children between the ages of 5 and 11, and a 31-percent increase among those between the ages of 12 and 17, compared with the same period in 2019; Whereas the 2021 Kaiser Family Foundation project found that 74 percent of LGBT people stated that worry and stress from the pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental health, compared to 49 percent of those who are not LGBT; Whereas the February 5, 2021, CDC Morbidity and Mor- tality Weekly Report found that symptoms of current de- pression were reported 59 percent more frequently by Hispanic adults (40.3 percent) than by White, non-His- panic adults (25.3 percent); Whereas the August 14, 2020, CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that— (1) 40.8 percent of Hispanic-American participants had an anxiety or depressive disorder, 35.1 percent expe- rienced COVID–19-related TSRD, and 21.9 percent started or increased substance use to cope with pan- demic-related stress or emotions; (2) 30.2 percent of Black, non-Hispanic participants in the United States had an anxiety or depressive dis- order, 30.4 percent experienced COVID–19-related TSRD, and 18.4 percent started or increased substance use to cope with pandemic-related stress or emotions; and (3) 18 percent of Asian, non-Hispanic-American par- ticipants had an anxiety or depressive disorder, 22.1 per- cent experienced COVID–19-related TSRD, and 6.7 per- VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR365.IH HR365 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 365 IH cent started or increased substance use to cope with pan- demic-related stress or emotions; Whereas the May 2020 HolaDoctor survey found that 20 per- cent of Latinos are suffering from anxiety and 15.7 per- cent of Latinos are suffering from increased stress due to the COVID–19 pandemic and lockdown; Whereas the 2020 Mental Health America survey found that from June to September 2020, 93 percent of health care workers were experiencing stress, 86 percent were experi- encing anxiety, 76 percent reported exhaustion and burn- out, 75 percent said they were overwhelmed, and 39 per- cent of health care workers said they did not feel like they had adequate emotional support; Whereas the 2020 University of Utah survey of health care workers, emergency responders, and hospital staff found that 56 percent of respondents screened positive for at least one mental health disorder; Whereas the 2020 Kaiser Family Foundation analysis found that 42 percent of essential workers experienced symp- toms of anxiety or depressive disorder, 25 percent started or increased substance use to cope with stress or emo- tions related to COVID–19, and 22 percent considered suicide in the past 30 days; and Whereas it would be appropriate to observe May 2021 as ‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘Mental Health 2 Awareness Month’’ to remove the stigma associated 3 with mental illness and place emphasis on scientific 4 findings regarding mental health recovery; 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR365.IH HR365 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 365 IH (2) declares mental health a national priority; 1 (3) recognizes mental well-being is equally as 2 important as physical well-being for citizens, commu- 3 nities, schools, businesses, and the economy in the 4 United States; 5 (4) applauds the coalescing of national, State, 6 local, medical, and faith-based organizations in 7 working to promote public awareness of mental 8 health and providing critical information and sup- 9 port during this pandemic to individuals and families 10 affected by mental illness; and 11 (5) encourages all to draw on ‘‘Mental Health 12 Awareness Month’’ as an opportunity to promote 13 mental well-being and awareness, ensure access to 14 appropriate coverage and services, and support over- 15 all quality of life for those living with mental illness. 16 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR365.IH HR365 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS