IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 640 

Addressing the national crisis of suicide among minority adolescents. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 1, 2023 

Mr. ESPAILLAT (for himself, 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 

Addressing the national crisis of suicide among minority 

adolescents. 

Whereas suicide is a mental health issue that affects individuals and families around the Nation regardless of personal attributes such as race, religion, gender identity, 

sexual orientation, nation of birth, economic background, 

disability, or age; 

Whereas the World Health Organization defines ‘‘adolescent’’ 

as children between the ages of 10 to 19; 

Whereas, over the last two decades, self-reported suicide attempts rose nearly 80 percent among Black adolescents, 

by far the most significant increase of all races and 

ethnicities; 


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Whereas Black children under 13 are dying by suicide at 

nearly twice the rate of White children the same age; 

Whereas the COVID–19 public health emergency has disproportionately affected the mental health of youth who 

are Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) due 

to— 

(1) Black and Latino adolescents seeing more 

COVID–19-related infections and deaths in their communities than for their White counterparts; and 

(2) Black and Latino families suffering from disproportionate economic setbacks that lead to financial 

stress and instability; 

Whereas the suicide rate for adolescent Native and Indigenous females is five times higher than their White counterparts; 

Whereas the American Indian and Alaska Native youth suicide rate is 2.5 times that of the overall national average; 

Whereas suicide is the leading cause of death for Asian 

American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth aged 12 to 

19 years old; 

Whereas youth of color are up to twice as likely to be exposed 

to violent crime in their neighborhood of residence than 

their White counterparts; 

Whereas exposure to violent crime, and those involving firearms in particular, engenders traumas beyond ‘‘normal’’ 

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including interpersonal distrust, feeling of shame, and dependency that 

perpetuate systemic racial disparities in the United 

States; 

Whereas 19.7 percent of AAPI students in grades 9 to 12 seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year; 


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Whereas youth of color were witness to the renewed national 

attention and protests against racialized police violence 

when an unarmed Black man named George Floyd was 

murdered during the summer of 2020; 

Whereas racism against the AAPI community has been exacerbated due to xenophobic, harmful rhetoric to describe 

the origins of the coronavirus pandemic; 

Whereas repeated experiences of racialized violence and prejudice may lead to racial trauma which can manifest as 

depression and anxiety; 

Whereas racial inequities in mental health are a result of historical oppression and discriminatory practices that have 

deliberately and unjustly targeted marginalized communities; 

Whereas structural racism has resulted in limited access to 

health care for BIPOC adolescents; 

Whereas the lack of cultural understanding and competency 

by health care providers can cause individuals to delay or 

forgo care and may contribute to underdiagnosis of mental illness in people from racially and ethnically diverse 

populations; 

Whereas BIPOC adolescents are significantly less likely than 

White youth to receive treatment for their depression 

overall because of negative perceptions of mental health 

services and providers within their communities; and 

Whereas the lack of school resource funding results in a lack 

of school-based mental health services, especially in 

schools whose populations are predominately made up of 

students of color: Now, therefore, be it 


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1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) adolescents experiencing mental health con4 cerns, including stress, depression, anxiety, and, 

5 among some groups, increased risk for suicide, 

6 should have readily available resources to effectively 

7 understand and ensure their needs are addressed; 

8 (2) no adolescent or student, regardless of their 

9 race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nation of 

10 birth, or economic background, should face mental 

11 health issues alone; 

12 (3) socioeconomic disparities, stigma, and 

13 unequitable access to health care resources are all 

14 barriers that prevent youth from receiving the help 

15 they need; 

16 (4) public officials should utilize their respective 

17 platforms to increase awareness and culturally com18 petent resources in support of social, emotional, and 

19 mental health needs of adolescents, especially in sup20 port of students of color and groups more suscep21 tible to risk; 

22 (5) ensuring that students of color have school23 based mental health services is an essential part in 

24 mitigating increased suicide rates; 


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1 (6) through culturally relevant treatment, sui2 cide prevention efforts must address the lived experi3 ences of youth of color; and 

4 (7) Congress should commit to adequately fund 

5 existing programs and organizations that are work6 ing to close the racial and socioeconomic disparities 

7 in mental health. 

Æ 


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