A resolution designating June 2023 as "National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month" and June 27, 2023, as "National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day".

III 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 264 Designating June 2023 as ‘‘National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month’’ and June 27, 2023, as ‘‘National Post-Traumatic Stress Aware- ness Day’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 21, 2023 Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. TUBERVILLE, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. HOEVEN, Mr. KELLY, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. KLO- BUCHAR, Mr. KAINE, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. RUBIO, Mrs. BLACKBURN, and Mr. CASSIDY) submitted the following resolution; which considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating June 2023 as ‘‘National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month’’ and June 27, 2023, as ‘‘National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day’’. Whereas the brave men and women of the Armed Forces, who proudly serve the United States— (1) risk their lives to protect the freedom, health, and welfare of the people of the United States; and (2) deserve the investment of every possible resource to ensure their lasting physical, mental, and emotional well-being; Whereas, since the events of September 11, 2001, nearly 2,800,000 members of the Armed Forces have deployed VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:16 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR264.ATS SR264 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •SRES 264 ATS overseas and served in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq; Whereas the current generation of men and women in the Armed Forces has sustained a high rate of operational deployments, with many members of the Armed Forces serving overseas multiple times, placing those members at high risk of enduring traumatic combat stress; Whereas, when left untreated, exposure to traumatic combat stress can lead to severe and chronic post-traumatic stress responses, which are commonly referred to as post- traumatic stress disorder or post-traumatic stress injury; Whereas many men and women of the Armed Forces and vet- erans who served before September 11, 2001, live with mental health needs from post-traumatic stress and re- main at risk for responses to that stress; Whereas many post-traumatic stress responses remain unre- ported, undiagnosed, and untreated due to a lack of awareness about post-traumatic stress and the persistent stigma associated with mental health conditions; Whereas post-traumatic stress significantly increases the risk of post-traumatic stress responses, including anxiety, de- pression, homelessness, substance abuse, and suicide, es- pecially if left untreated; Whereas the Secretary of Veterans Affairs reports that— (1) approximately 20 percent of veterans who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Free- dom have post-traumatic stress in a given year; (2) approximately 12 percent of veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War have post-traumatic stress in a given year; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:16 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR264.ATS SR264 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •SRES 264 ATS (3) approximately 30 percent of veterans who served in the Vietnam era have had post-traumatic stress in their lifetimes; Whereas public perceptions of post-traumatic stress as a mental health disorder create unique challenges for vet- erans seeking employment; Whereas the Department of Defense, the Department of Vet- erans Affairs, veterans service organizations, and the pri- vate and public medical community have made significant advances in the identification, prevention, 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 stigma attached to the mental health issues of post-traumatic stress; 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 timely and appropriate treatment of post-traumatic stress responses can diminish complications and avert suicides; Whereas post-traumatic stress— (1) can result from any number of stressors other than combat, including rape, sexual assault, battery, tor- ture, confinement, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, natural disasters, or global pandemics; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:16 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR264.ATS SR264 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •SRES 264 ATS (2) affects approximately 8,000,000 adults in the United States annually; Whereas traumatic events such as the COVID–19 pandemic could— (1) increase the number of individuals impacted by post-traumatic stress; or (2) exacerbate the responses of post-traumatic stress; Whereas the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder was first defined by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 to commonly and more accurately understand and treat survivors of physical and psychological trauma, in- cluding veterans who had endured severe traumatic com- bat stress; Whereas the word ‘‘disorder’’ can perpetuate the stigma asso- ciated with combat stress, so the more general term ‘‘post-traumatic stress’’ is often preferred; and Whereas the designation of a National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month and a National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day raises public awareness about issues re- lating to post-traumatic stress, reduces the stigma associ- ated with post-traumatic stress, and helps ensure that in- dividuals suffering from the invisible wounds of war re- ceive proper treatment: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) designates— 2 (A) June 2023 as ‘‘National Post-Trau- 3 matic Stress Awareness Month’’; and 4 (B) June 27, 2023, as ‘‘National Post- 5 Traumatic Stress Awareness Day’’; 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:16 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR264.ATS SR264 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •SRES 264 ATS (2) supports the efforts of the Secretary of Vet- 1 erans Affairs, the Secretary of Defense, and the en- 2 tire medical community to educate members of the 3 Armed Forces, veterans, the families of members of 4 the Armed Forces and veterans, and the public 5 about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of post- 6 traumatic stress; 7 (3) supports efforts by the Secretary of Vet- 8 erans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense to fos- 9 ter— 10 (A) cultural change around the issue of 11 post-traumatic stress; and 12 (B) understanding that personal inter- 13 actions can save lives and advance treatment; 14 (4) welcomes the efforts of local Vet Centers 15 (as defined in section 1712A(h) of title 38, United 16 States Code) to provide assistance to veterans who 17 are suffering from the effects of post-traumatic 18 stress; 19 (5) encourages the leadership of the Armed 20 Forces to support appropriate treatment of men and 21 women of the Armed Forces who suffer from post- 22 traumatic stress; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:16 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR264.ATS SR264 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •SRES 264 ATS (6) recognizes the impact of post-traumatic 1 stress on the spouses and families of members of the 2 Armed Forces and veterans; and 3 (7) respectfully requests that the Secretary of 4 the Senate transmit a copy of this resolution to— 5 (A) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and 6 (B) the Secretary of Defense. 7 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:16 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR264.ATS SR264 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB