III

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. RES. 83

Recognizing suicide as a national problem, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MAY 6, 1997

Mr. REID (for himself, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. WELLSTONE, and Mr. COVERDELL)

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee

on Labor and Human Resources

RESOLUTION

Recognizing suicide as a national problem, and for other

purposes.

Whereas suicide, the ninth leading cause of all deaths in the

United States and the third such cause for young persons

ages 15 through 24, claims over 31,000 lives annually,

more than homicide;

Whereas suicide attempts, estimated to exceed 750,000 annually, adversely impact the lives of millions of family members;

Whereas suicide completions annually cause over 200,000

family members to grieve over and mourn a tragic suicide

death for the first time, thus creating a population of

over 4,000,000 such mourners in the United States;
2

•SRES 83 IS

Whereas the suicide completion rate per 100,000 persons has

remained relatively stable over the past 40 years for the

general population, and that rate has nearly tripled for

young persons;

Whereas that suicide completion rate is highest for adults

over 65;

Whereas the stigma associated with mental illness works

against suicide prevention by keeping persons at risk of

completing suicide from seeking lifesaving help;

Whereas the stigma associated with suicide deaths seriously

inhibits surviving family members from regaining meaningful lives;

Whereas suicide deaths impose a huge unrecognized and

unmeasured economic burden on the United States in

terms of potential years of life lost, medical costs incurred, and work time lost by mourners;

Whereas suicide is a complex, multifaceted biological, sociological, psychological, and societal problem;

Whereas even though many suicides are currently preventable, there is still a need for the development of more effective suicide prevention programs;

Whereas suicide prevention opportunities continue to increase

due to advances in clinical research, in mental disorder

treatments, and in basic neuroscience, and due to the development of community-based initiatives that await evaluation; and

Whereas suicide prevention efforts should be encouraged to

the maximum extent possible: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the Senate—
3

•SRES 83 IS

1 (1) recognizes suicide as a national problem and

2 declares suicide prevention to be a national priority;

3 (2) acknowledges that no single suicide preven4 tion program or effort will be appropriate for all

5 populations or communities;

6 (3) encourages initiatives dedicated to—

7 (A) preventing suicide;

8 (B) responding to people at risk for suicide

9 and people who have attempted suicide;

10 (C) promoting safe and effective treatment

11 for persons at risk for suicidal behavior;

12 (D) supporting people who have lost some13 one to suicide; and

14 (E) developing an effective national strat15 egy for the prevention of suicide; and

16 (4) encourages the development, and the pro17 motion of accessibility and affordability, of mental

18 health services, to enable all persons at risk for sui19 cide to obtain the services, without fear of any stig20 ma.

Æ