Declaring a mental health crisis among youth in the United States, and expressing the pressing need for historic investments in mental health care for students.

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 434 Declaring a mental health crisis among youth in the United States, and expressing the pressing need for historic investments in mental health care for students. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 22, 2023 Mr. MOULTON (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. STEWART, Mr. TRONE, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con- cerned RESOLUTION Declaring a mental health crisis among youth in the United States, and expressing the pressing need for historic investments in mental health care for students. Whereas over the past few decades and over the course of the pandemic, mental health issues amongst young people have steadily become worse; Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services states that about 49.5 percent of adolescents in the United States have faced mental health disorders at some point in their lives; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:04 May 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR434.IH HR434 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 434 IH Whereas the White House states that over the course of the pandemic, emergency room visits due to mental health reasons for children ages 5 through 11 increased by 24 percent and for children ages 12 through 17 increased by over 30 percent; Whereas the Wisconsin Hospital Association Information Center states that over a third, or 37 percent, of high school students reported that they experienced poor men- tal health during the COVID–19 pandemic, and 44 per- cent reported feeling sad or hopeless during the past year; Whereas the World Health Organization states that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15–19 year olds and the second leading cause of death for 10–24 year olds; Whereas the National Institute of Mental Health states that the consequences of adolescent mental health crises also include higher propensity to engage in substance abuse or face anxiety, depression, or other related conditions later in life; Whereas the National Institutes of Health states that mental health crises cause immense financial burdens dispropor- tionately affecting those from lower income or rural households; Whereas current State mental health interventions often re- main mismanaged or difficult to fund; Whereas high-risk populations in rural or underfunded areas are less exposed to knowledge regarding mental health conditions; and Whereas high-risk populations in rural or underfunded areas are often overlooked as places that may face severe men- VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:04 May 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR434.IH HR434 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 434 IH tal health crises, such that current infrastructure dedi- cated toward alleviating youth mental health concerns is inequitably distributed: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives recog- 1 nizes that the United States is currently suffering from 2 a mental health crisis among its youth, and that in order 3 to begin mitigating the detrimental effects of this crisis, 4 the Federal Government must— 5 (1) encourage States, local educational agencies, 6 schools, and community organizations to support 7 students suffering from mental health crises at all 8 grade levels by— 9 (A) improving the training given to edu- 10 cators such that they are better equipped to re- 11 spond to signs and manifestations of mental 12 health disorders among students that they are 13 in direct contact with; 14 (B) recognizing that young children often 15 go mis- or undiagnosed when it comes to men- 16 tal health disorders and therefore lack adequate 17 support when dealing with mental health crises; 18 (C) investing greater resources toward on- 19 campus mental health resources that prioritize 20 recovery over penalizations against students 21 dealing with mental health difficulties; 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:04 May 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR434.IH HR434 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 434 IH (D) removing support for ‘‘risk assess- 1 ment’’ teams that have evidently caused harm 2 to the mental and emotional well-being of chil- 3 dren in schools and disproportionately affect 4 students of color by perpetuating existing stig- 5 mas that only further their engagement with 6 law enforcement; 7 (E) evaluating the preservation of con- 8 tinuity of care for students whose treatment is 9 interrupted by changes in legal status, such as 10 when they turn 18; and 11 (F) recognizing the unique struggles of un- 12 documented and lower income students whose 13 legal and economic status may preclude them 14 from seeking care, and reducing pathways be- 15 tween mental health care and criminalization 16 and deportation; 17 (2) recognize that mental and physical health 18 are undoubtedly intertwined, so therefore must be 19 treated together, and that age is not a determinant 20 for who may suffer from mental illness, in that chil- 21 dren can face mental health difficulties as early as 22 elementary school; 23 (3) recognize the urgency for increasing public 24 knowledge on mental health disorders through en- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:04 May 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR434.IH HR434 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 434 IH couraging Federal, State, and local institutions to 1 disseminate robust resources regarding the effects 2 and available treatment options for various mental 3 health disorders; 4 (4) address the current public, institutional, 5 and internalized stigmas associated with mental ill- 6 ness and thereby their accompanied isolating, preju- 7 dicial, and discriminatory repercussions by urging 8 States to adopt peer-to-peer mental health treatment 9 models that prioritize community openness; 10 (5) create a comprehensive method to contact 11 high-risk populations and isolated communities with 12 little access to knowledge about and resources to 13 support young people suffering from mental health 14 disorders; and 15 (6) address detained children in need who have 16 repeatedly been overlooked by medical professionals 17 as suffering from developmental, intellectual, or 18 other disabilities by providing them with specific 19 educational and health care services tailored to their 20 needs, such as— 21 (A) regularly screening juvenile youth for 22 mental health conditions that may have been 23 exacerbated by their time in prison; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:04 May 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR434.IH HR434 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 434 IH (B) understanding the relationship between 1 previous childhood trauma and children’s en- 2 gagement with law enforcement, and creating 3 individualized care plans based on this under- 4 standing. 5 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:04 May 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR434.IH HR434 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS