IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 372 

Expressing support for the designation of May 2023 as ‘‘Mental Health 

Awareness Month’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 9, 2023 

Mrs. NAPOLITANO (for herself, Mr. STEWART, Mr. BACON, Ms. BALINT, Ms. 

BARRAGA ́N, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. BONAMICI, 

Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. BUDZINSKI, Ms. BUSH, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. CARSON, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. CHU, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. 

CORREA, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mrs. DINGELL, 

Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Mr. 

FITZPATRICK, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Mr. HARDER of California, Mrs. 

HAYES, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. HOYLE of Oregon, Ms. JACKSON

LEE, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KILMER, Mr. KIM of New 

Jersey, Ms. LEE of California, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. 

MATSUI, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, 

Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. NADLER, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PETERS, Ms. PETTERSEN, Ms. PORTER, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. 

RUIZ, Mr. SABLAN, Ms. SALINAS, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. 

SORENSEN, Mr. THANEDAR, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. TONKO, Mr. TORRES

of New York, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. TRONE, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mrs. WATSON

COLEMAN, Mr. COSTA, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, and Mrs. TORRES of California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the designation of May 2023 as 

‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’. 


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•HRES 372 IH 

Whereas mental health and well-being during the coronavirus 

(COVID–19) pandemic has taken a toll on and been 

stressful for millions of Americans; 

Whereas the effects of COVID–19 on mental health have 

been well-documented, and the need for additional treatment services only continues to grow; 

Whereas, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental 

Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in 2019, 

51,400,000 American adults lived with a mental illness 

prior to the pandemic; 

Whereas, according to Pew Research Center analysis in 2022, 

at least 4 in 10 American adults have experienced high 

levels of psychological distress since the initial outbreak 

of the COVID–19 pandemic; 

Whereas the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health 

conducted by SAMHSA found that— 

(1) the number of American adults living with a 

mental illness has risen from 51,400,000 in 2019 to 

57,800,000 in 2021; 

(2) nearly half of Americans between the ages of 18 

and 25 have lived with a mental illness during the past 

year; 

(3) 66 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 17 and 64 

percent of adults aged 18 or older felt that the COVID– 

19 pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental 

or emotional health; and 

(4) 3,300,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 

and 17 and 12,300,000 adults had serious thoughts of 

suicide during the past year; 

Whereas an October 2022 Kaiser Family Foundation/CNN 

Mental Health in America Survey found that— 


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•HRES 372 IH 

(1) 90 percent of the public think that there is a 

mental health crisis in the United States today; 

(2) 55 percent of the public think that mental health 

issues in children and teenagers in the United States 

today are a crisis; 

(3) 47 percent of parents say that the COVID–19 

pandemic has had a negative impact on their child’s mental health; and 

(4) 51 percent of all adults say they or a family 

member has experienced a severe mental health crisis; 

Whereas the Stress in America 2022 survey conducted by the 

American Psychological Association found that— 

(1) 27 percent of adults are so stressed that they 

struggle to function; 

(2) 46 percent of adults struggle to go to work or 

attend school because of stress; and 

(3) 62 percent of women and 51 percent of men between the ages of 18 and 34 feel completely overwhelmed 

by stress every day; 

Whereas the 2022 Access to Care Survey conducted by the 

National Council for Mental Wellbeing found that— 

(1) 2 in 5 Americans reported needing mental health 

care; 

(2) 43 percent of Americans who needed mental 

health care over the past 12 months did not receive it; 

and 

(3) two-thirds of Americans believe that it is harder 

to find a mental health care provider than it is to find 

a physical health care provider; 

Whereas a February 2023 Household Pulse Survey found 

that 28.2 percent of adults reported symptoms of anxiety 

disorder; 


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•HRES 372 IH 

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC), mental health disorders are chronic 

conditions, and without proper diagnosis and treatment 

children can face problems at home and in school which 

can interfere with their future development; 

Whereas more resources should be dedicated in schools to the 

prevention, early detection, and treatment of mental 

health disorders in children; 

Whereas childhood depression is more likely to persist into 

adulthood if it is left untreated; 

Whereas it is important that the United States provide the 

necessary funding and resources to reach children and 

youth early on in life; 

Whereas the February 18, 2022, CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that between 2020 and 2022, 

the number of pediatric emergency department visits associated with mental health conditions increased and was 

most pronounced in girls between the ages of 12 and 17; 

Whereas the October 14, 2022, CDC Morbidity and Mortality 

Weekly Report found that 3 in 4 high school students experienced at least 1 adverse childhood experience during 

the COVID–19 pandemic and that these experiences increase an individual’s likelihood to report poor mental 

health or suicidal behavior in the future; 

Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has accelerated the use of 

digital technologies, such as any social media; 

Whereas there has been a great concern about the impact of 

social media on the mental health of children and youth; 

Whereas social media does expose children to bullying, depression, anxiety, and self-harm; 


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•HRES 372 IH 

Whereas there is a strong need to further understand and 

deter any negative impacts of social media on children 

and youth; 

Whereas the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary and Trends Report: 2011–2021, found that— 

(1) nearly 3 in 5 teen girls in the United States experienced depressive symptoms in 2021, which is double 

that of boys and the highest levels reported in decades; 

and 

(2) youth experienced high and worsening levels of 

persistent sadness or hopelessness across all racial and 

ethnic groups; 

Whereas the 2022 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences 

Survey prepared by the CDC found that— 

(1) 36 percent of heterosexual high school students 

and 75 percent of LGBTQ+ high school students felt 

persistently sad or hopeless for an extended period during 

the last 12 months; 

(2) 14 percent of heterosexual high school students 

and 47 percent of LGBTQ+ high school students seriously considered attempting suicide during the last 12 

months; and 

(3) 5 percent of heterosexual high school students 

and 26 percent of LGBTQ+ high school students actually attempted suicide during the last 12 months; 

Whereas, according the 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ 

Youth Mental Health conducted by The Trevor Project, 

60 percent of LGBTQ youth who wanted mental health 

care in the past year were not able to get it and 45 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting 

suicide over this same time period; 


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•HRES 372 IH 

Whereas disparities remain in access to mental health treatment for communities of color, with Asian, Native American, Hispanic, and Black individuals less likely to receive 

mental health care than their counterparts; 

Whereas a July 2021 survey conducted by the National 

Council for Mental Wellbeing found that from July 2020 

to July 2021— 

(1) 46 percent of Black adults say they are experiencing more stress and mental health challenges, but just 

21 percent say they have received treatment or care of 

any kind for their mental health; 

(2) 45 percent of Native American adults have experienced more stress and mental health challenges, but 

only 24 percent have received treatment for mental 

health; 

(3) 42 percent of Hispanic adults report experiencing more stress and mental health challenges, but just 

26 percent say they have received mental health treatment; 

(4) 40 percent of Asian adults say they are experiencing more stress and mental health challenges, but just 

11 percent say they have received treatment or care of 

any kind; and 

(5) almost half (47 percent) of all adults surveyed 

stated that the cost of help or treatment is an obstacle 

in seeking treatment for their mental health; 

Whereas, in 2021, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 

over half of White, Hispanic, and Black adults say that 

the COVID–19 pandemic has had a negative impact on 

their mental health; 


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•HRES 372 IH 

Whereas suicide is a significant public health issue that can 

have an enduring impact on individuals and their communities; 

Whereas additional resources should be dedicated to the prevention of suicide in the United States; 

Whereas, according to the CDC, the overall suicide rate in 

the United States increased by 30 percent between 2000 

and 2020; 

Whereas provisional data published by the CDC in September 

2022 found that— 

(1) suicide is the second leading cause of death in 

the United States for individuals between the ages of 10 

and 34; and 

(2) the number of suicides was 4 percent higher in 

2021 than it was in 2020; 

Whereas veterans are more likely to experience mental health 

challenges than civilians; 

Whereas it is important that the United States provide additional funding and resources to support veterans with 

mental health needs; 

Whereas the 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report found that— 

(1) in 2020, there were 6,146 veteran suicides, 

which is a daily average of 16.8; 

(2) the suicide rate for veterans was 57.3 percent 

greater than for nonveteran United States adults; and 

(3) the suicide rate was highest among veterans between the ages of 18 and 34; and 

Whereas it would be appropriate to observe May 2023 as 

‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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•HRES 372 IH 

1 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘Mental Health 

2 Awareness Month’’ to remove the stigma associated 

3 with mental illness and place emphasis on scientific 

4 findings regarding mental health recovery; 

5 (2) declares mental health a national priority; 

6 (3) supports the expansion of funding for men7 tal health services; 

8 (4) recognizes that mental well-being is equally 

9 as important as physical well-being for citizens, com10 munities, schools, businesses, and the economy in 

11 the United States; 

12 (5) applauds the coalescing of national, State, 

13 local, medical, and faith-based organizations in 

14 working to promote public awareness of mental 

15 health and providing critical information and sup16 ports to individuals and families affected by mental 

17 illness; and 

18 (6) encourages all to draw on ‘‘Mental Health 

19 Awareness Month’’ as an opportunity to promote 

20 mental well-being and awareness, ensure access to 

21 appropriate coverage and services, and support over22 all quality of life for those living with mental illness. 

Æ 


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