IA

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. J. RES. 349

To designate the week of October 2, 1994, through October 8, 1994, as

‘‘Mental Illness Awareness Week’’.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 24, 1994

Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. MACHTLEY, Mr. KREIDLER, Mr. SPRATT, Mr.

TANNER, Mr. SLATTERY, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. GONZALEZ,

Mr. CLEMENT, Mr. COBLE, Mr. MOAKLEY, Mr. MAZZOLI, Mrs.

UNSOELD, Mr. ROWLAND, Mr. HEFNER, Mr. JACOBS, Mr. BILBRAY, Mr.

PICKLE, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. WHEAT, Mr. WAXMAN, Mrs. BYRNE, Mr.

FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. WOLF, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. MILLER of California,

Ms. FURSE, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. FRANKS of

Connecticut, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. STARK, Mrs. MALONEY,

Mr. REGULA, Mr. FILNER, Mr. COLEMAN, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. KOPETSKI,

Mr. CONYERS, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. LAFALCE, Mr. SAWYER, Mr. FROST,

Mr. WISE, Mr. POSHARD, Mr. GEJDENSON, Mr. KING, Mr. ARCHER,

Mrs. ROUKEMA, Ms. NORTON, Mr. KASICH, Mr. EVANS, Mr. COOPER,

Mrs. MINK, Mr. KLECZKA, Mrs. THURMAN, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts,

Mr. PETERSON of Florida, and Ms. MOLINARI) introduced the following

joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Post Office and

Civil Service

JOINT RESOLUTION

To designate the week of October 2, 1994, through October

8, 1994, as ‘‘Mental Illness Awareness Week’’.
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Whereas mental illness is a problem of grave concern and

consequence in the United States and it is widely, but

unnecessarily, feared and misunderstood;

Whereas on an annual basis 40,000,000 adults in the United

States experience clearly diagnosable mental disorders,

including mental illness, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse,

which create significant disabilities with respect to employment, school attendance, and independent living;

Whereas more than 11,200,000 United States citizens are diagnosed with schizophrenia, manic depressive disorder,

and major depression; and these individuals are often disabled for long periods of time;

Whereas 1⁄3 of homeless persons suffer serious, chronic forms

of mental illness;

Whereas mental disorders affect almost 22 percent of adults

in the United States in any 1-year period, with an additional 6 percent affected by substance abuse disorders;

Whereas mental illness interferes with the development and

maturation of at least 7,000,000 to 12,000,000 American

children;

Whereas anxiety disorders are the most prevalent of the mental disorders, affecting 12.6 percent of the adult population, phobia disorders affect 10.9 percent, obsessivecompulsive disorder 2.1 percent, and panic disorder 1.3

percent;

Whereas 1.1 percent of the population develops schizophrenia

during their lifetimes, which means that 2,000,000 Americans are affected by schizophrenia in any given year and

occupy an estimated 100,000 hospital beds on any given

day;
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•HJ 349 IH

Whereas conditions such as major depression and dysthymia

affect approximately twice as many women as men, thus,

an estimated 6 percent of United States women, in contrast to 3 percent of men, will experience a major depression in their lifetime;

Whereas at least another 6 percent of women have

dysthymia, a less severe, but often more chronic form of

depression;

Whereas a majority of the 30,000 American citizens who

commit suicide each year have a mental or an addictive

disorder;

Whereas our growing population of elderly persons faces

many obstacles to care for mental disorders;

Whereas 20 to 25 percent of persons with AIDS develop

AIDS-related cognitive dysfunction and as many as 2⁄3 of

persons with AIDS will show neuropsychiatric symptoms

before they die;

Whereas mental illnesses, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse result in staggering costs to society, estimated to be in excess of $300,000,000,000 in direct treatment and support and indirect costs to society, including lost productivity;

Whereas the Federal research and services budget committed

to the National Institute of Mental Health, the National

Institute of Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, and the Center for Mental

Health Services represents only about 1 percent of the direct treatment and support costs of caring for persons

with alcohol, drug, and mental disorders;
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•HJ 349 IH

Whereas mental illnesses are increasingly treatable disorders

and with excellent prospects for amelioration when properly recognized;

Whereas persons with mental illness and their families have

begun to join self-help groups and have worked to reduce

the unfair stigma of mental illness, to support greater

national investment in research and services, and to advocate a full continuum of care from hospital to community;

Whereas in recent years there have been unprecedented major

research developments bringing new methods and technology to the sophisticated and objective study of the

functioning of the brain and of services and systems of

care for persons with mental illness;

Whereas research in recent decades has led to a wide array

of new and more effective modalities of treatment (somatic, psychosocial, ad service delivery) for some of the

most severe forms of mental illness, including schizophrenia, major affective disorders, phobias, and phobic disorders;

Whereas appropriate treatment of mental illness has been

demonstrated to be cost effective in terms of restored

productivity, reduced use of other health services, and

lessened social dependence; and

Whereas recent and unparalleled growth in scientific knowledge about mental illness has generated the current

emergency of a new threshold of opportunity for future

research advances and fruitful application to specific clinical problems: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 That the week of October 2, 1994, through October 8,

2 1994, is designated as ‘‘Mental Illness Awareness Week’’.

3 The President is authorized and requested to issue a proc4 lamation calling upon the people of the United States to

5 observe such week with appropriate programs, ceremonies,

6 and activities.

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