IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 474 

Recognizing the important contribution and added value of mental health 

and psychosocial support services and the importance of building such 

capacity in humanitarian and development contexts. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 9, 2015 

Ms. MCCOLLUM (for herself, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, and Mrs. NAPOLITANO) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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 

Recognizing the important contribution and added value of 

mental health and psychosocial support services and the 

importance of building such capacity in humanitarian 

and development contexts. 

Whereas mental, neurological, and substance use disorders 

are one of the great invisible public health challenges in 

all societies and the leading cause of disability worldwide; 

Whereas the World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 

4 people will experience an episode of a mental or neurological disorder, such as schizophrenia, depression, epilepsy, dementia, or a substance-use disorder, in their lifetime; 


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•HRES 474 IH 

Whereas the World Health Organization ranked depression as 

the third highest cause of disease burden globally and has 

projected that depression will become the leading cause 

by 2030; 

Whereas mental health problems can affect a person’s ability 

to function, carry out day-to-day tasks, and establish or 

maintain relationships with others; 

Whereas effective mental health and psychosocial well-being 

are essential for adapting to new situations, responding 

to challenges, and coping with crises; 

Whereas it is estimated that after humanitarian emergencies, 

the percentage of the population experiencing common 

mental disorders doubles, while those individuals with 

pre-existing and severe mental illnesses remain especially 

vulnerable and often have no access to care; 

Whereas in high-income countries, approximately half of the 

people afflicted with mental disorders do not receive appropriate care and in low-income countries, the figure is 

even higher at approximately 85–90 percent; 

Whereas the global cost of mental illness in 2010 was $2.5 

trillion and this cost is projected to rise above $6 trillion 

by 2030, yet the amount of development assistance for 

global mental health between 2007 and 2013 was only 

$133.57 million, which represents less than 1 percent of 

all development assistance; 

Whereas integrating mental health and psychosocial support 

into other sectors supports population health, economic 

development, and political stability; 

Whereas integrating mental health into general health care 

by building capacity of staff and health facilities can create accessible and nonstigmatizing mental health services; 


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•HRES 474 IH 

Whereas in 2012, the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly 

adopted resolution WHA65.4, which then resulted in the 

introduction of the Global Mental Health Action Plan 

2013–2020 by the World Health Organization; 

Whereas the overarching goal of the Global Mental Health 

Action Plan is to promote mental well-being, prevent 

mental disorders, provide care, enhance recovery, promote 

human rights, and reduce the mortality, morbidity, and 

disability for persons with mental disorders; and 

Whereas there is an urgent need to create accessible, quality 

mental health services in line with national and global 

guidelines by designing comprehensive and culturally, developmentally, and linguistically appropriate programs 

that build local human resource capacity and strengthen 

health systems: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) affirms the continued support of the United 

3 States for making resources available to provide 

4 mental health and psychosocial support services and 

5 build capacity in low-resource settings and in con6 flict and crisis-affected countries; 

7 (2) recognizes the importance of trained mental 

8 health workers in restoring functioning, enhancing 

9 well-being, and saving lives through the increased 

10 availability of high-quality and culturally acceptable 

11 mental health and psychosocial support services, as 

12 well as the important contributions and lived experiVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:58 Oct 09, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR474.IH HR474

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•HRES 474 IH 

1 ence of individuals and families affected by mental 

2 illness; and 

3 (3) calls on the Department of State, the 

4 United States Agency for International Develop5 ment, and other relevant Federal agencies to inte6 grate mental health and psychosocial support activi7 ties, based upon the Global Mental Health Action 

8 Plan, into programs, funding opportunities, and 

9 budget allocations for the relevant sectors in order 

10 to improve the overall quality of life for people living 

11 with mental illnesses both domestically and abroad. 

Æ 


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