This resolution recognizes that there is a mental health crisis among youth in the United States and encourages various efforts to address the crisis.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 434 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
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
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
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;
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 mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44
percent 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 disproportionately affecting those from lower
income or rural households;
Whereas current State mental health interventions often remain 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 mental health crises, such that current
infrastructure dedicated toward alleviating youth mental health concerns
is inequitably distributed: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes that the
United States is currently suffering from a mental health crisis among
its youth, and that in order to begin mitigating the detrimental
effects of this crisis, the Federal Government must--
(1) encourage States, local educational agencies, schools,
and community organizations to support students suffering from
mental health crises at all grade levels by--
(A) improving the training given to educators such
that they are better equipped to respond to signs and
manifestations of mental health disorders among
students that they are in direct contact with;
(B) recognizing that young children often go mis-
or undiagnosed when it comes to mental health disorders
and therefore lack adequate support when dealing with
mental health crises;
(C) investing greater resources toward on-campus
mental health resources that prioritize recovery over
penalizations against students dealing with mental
health difficulties;
(D) removing support for ``risk assessment'' teams
that have evidently caused harm to the mental and
emotional well-being of children in schools and
disproportionately affect students of color by
perpetuating existing stigmas that only further their
engagement with law enforcement;
(E) evaluating the preservation of continuity of
care for students whose treatment is interrupted by
changes in legal status, such as when they turn 18; and
(F) recognizing the unique struggles of
undocumented and lower income students whose legal and
economic status may preclude them from seeking care,
and reducing pathways between mental health care and
criminalization and deportation;
(2) recognize that mental and physical health are
undoubtedly intertwined, so therefore must be treated together,
and that age is not a determinant for who may suffer from
mental illness, in that children can face mental health
difficulties as early as elementary school;
(3) recognize the urgency for increasing public knowledge
on mental health disorders through encouraging Federal, State,
and local institutions to disseminate robust resources
regarding the effects and available treatment options for
various mental health disorders;
(4) address the current public, institutional, and
internalized stigmas associated with mental illness and thereby
their accompanied isolating, prejudicial, and discriminatory
repercussions by urging States to adopt peer-to-peer mental
health treatment models that prioritize community openness;
(5) create a comprehensive method to contact high-risk
populations and isolated communities with little access to
knowledge about and resources to support young people suffering
from mental health disorders; and
(6) address detained children in need who have repeatedly
been overlooked by medical professionals as suffering from
developmental, intellectual, or other disabilities by providing
them with specific educational and health care services
tailored to their needs, such as--
(A) regularly screening juvenile youth for mental
health conditions that may have been exacerbated by
their time in prison; and
(B) understanding the relationship between previous
childhood trauma and children's engagement with law
enforcement, and creating individualized care plans
based on this understanding.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
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 concerned.
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 concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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