A resolution designating the month of June 2019 as "National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month" and June 27, 2019, as "National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day".

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 220 Designating the month of June 2019 as ‘‘National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month’’ and June 27, 2019, as ‘‘National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 23 (legislative day, MAY 22), 2019 Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. TILLIS, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. MURPHY, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MORAN, Mr. COONS, Mr. DAINES, Mr. BENNET, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. TESTER, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. CASEY, Mr. GRASSLEY, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. HOEVEN, Ms. STABENOW, Ms. COLLINS, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mrs. HYDE- SMITH, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. YOUNG, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. LEAHY, Mrs. CAPITO, Ms. SMITH, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. REED, Mr. BOOKER, and Ms. WARREN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judici- ary JUNE 27, 2019 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating the month of June 2019 as ‘‘National Post- Traumatic Stress Awareness Month’’ and June 27, 2019, as ‘‘National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day’’. Whereas the brave men and women of the Armed Forces, who proudly serve the United States, risk their lives to protect the freedom of the people of the United States and deserve the investment of every possible resource to VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:33 Jun 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR220.ATS SR220 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 SRES 220 ATS ensure their lasting physical, mental, and emotional well- being; Whereas more than 2,770,000 members of the Armed Forces have deployed overseas since the events of September 11, 2001, and have served in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq; Whereas the current generation of men and women in the Armed Forces has sustained a high rate of operational deployments, with many members of the Armed Forces serving overseas multiple times, placing those members at high risk of experiencing combat stress; Whereas, when left untreated, exposure to traumatic combat stress can lead to post-traumatic stress, sometimes re- ferred to as post-traumatic stress disorder (in this pre- amble referred to as ‘‘PTSD’’) or post-traumatic stress injury; Whereas men and women of the Armed Forces and veterans who served before September 11, 2001, remain at risk for post-traumatic stress; Whereas the Secretary of Veterans Affairs reports that ap- proximately— (1) 11 to 20 percent of veterans who served in Oper- ation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom have PTSD in a given year; (2) 12 percent of veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War have PTSD in a given year; and (3) 30 percent of veterans who served in the Viet- nam era have had PTSD in their lifetimes; Whereas many combat stress injuries remain unreported, undiagnosed, and untreated due to a lack of awareness VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:33 Jun 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR220.ATS SR220 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 SRES 220 ATS about post-traumatic stress and the persistent stigma as- sociated with mental health conditions; Whereas exposure to trauma during service in the Armed Forces can lead to post-traumatic stress; Whereas post-traumatic stress significantly increases the risk of anxiety, depression, suicide, homelessness, and drug- and alcohol-related disorders and deaths, especially if left untreated; Whereas public perceptions of post-traumatic stress or other mental health disorders create unique challenges for vet- erans seeking employment; Whereas the Department of Defense, the Department of Vet- erans Affairs, and veterans service organizations, as well as the larger medical community, both private and public, have made significant advances in the identification, pre- vention, diagnosis, and treatment of post-traumatic stress and the symptoms of post-traumatic stress, but many challenges remain; Whereas increased understanding of post-traumatic stress can help eliminate the stigma attached to this mental health issue; Whereas additional efforts are needed to find further ways to eliminate the stigma associated with post-traumatic stress, including— (1) an examination of how post-traumatic stress is discussed in the United States; and (2) a recognition that post-traumatic stress is a common injury that is treatable; Whereas post-traumatic stress can result from any number of stressors other than combat, including rape, sexual as- sault, battery, torture, confinement, child abuse, car acci- VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:33 Jun 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR220.ATS SR220 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 SRES 220 ATS dents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters, and affects approximately 8,000,000 adults in the United States annually; Whereas the diagnosis now known as PTSD was first defined by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 to com- monly and more accurately understand and treat vet- erans who had endured severe traumatic combat stress; Whereas the word ‘‘disorder’’ perpetuates the stigma associ- ated with combat stress; and Whereas the designation of a National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month and a National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day will raise public awareness about issues related to post-traumatic stress, reduce the associated stigma, and help ensure that those individuals suffering from the invisible wounds of war receive proper treat- ment: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) designates June 2019 as ‘‘National Post- 2 Traumatic Stress Awareness Month’’ and June 27, 3 2019, as ‘‘National Post-Traumatic Stress Aware- 4 ness Day’’; 5 (2) supports the efforts of the Secretary of Vet- 6 erans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense, as well 7 as the entire medical community, to educate mem- 8 bers of the Armed Forces, veterans, the families of 9 members of the Armed Forces and veterans, and the 10 public about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of 11 post-traumatic stress; 12 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:33 Jun 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR220.ATS SR220 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 SRES 220 ATS (3) supports efforts by the Secretary of Vet- 1 erans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense to foster 2 cultural change around the issue of post-traumatic 3 stress, understanding that personal interactions can 4 save lives and advance treatment; 5 (4) welcomes the efforts of the National Center 6 for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder of the Depart- 7 ment of Veterans Affairs and local Vet Centers (as 8 defined in section 1712A(h) of title 38, United 9 States Code) to provide assistance to veterans who 10 are suffering from the effects of post-traumatic 11 stress; 12 (5) encourages officers of the Armed Forces to 13 support appropriate treatment of men and women of 14 the Armed Forces who suffer from post-traumatic 15 stress; 16 (6) recognizes the impact of post-traumatic 17 stress on the spouses and families of members of the 18 Armed Forces and veterans; and 19 (7) respectfully requests that the Secretary of 20 the Senate transmit a copy of this resolution to the 21 Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of 22 Defense. 23 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:33 Jun 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR220.ATS SR220 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS