III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 662 

Expressing support for the designation of May 2022 as ‘‘Mental Health 

Awareness Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 7, 2022 

Mr. LUJA ́N (for himself, Mr. PORTMAN, Ms. STABENOW, and Mr. DAINES) 

submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the designation of May 2022 as 

‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’. 

Whereas the COVID–19 public health emergency has taken 

a toll on the mental well-being of the people of the 

United States and understandably has been stressful for 

many of those people; 

Whereas, for more than 2 years, the United States has witnessed firsthand how fear and anxiety about a disease 

can be overwhelming and negatively affect mental health 

in both adults and children; 

Whereas, according to the National Institute of Mental 

Health, before the COVID–19 pandemic, nearly 1 in 5 

adults in the United States lived with a mental illness; 


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Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘CDC’’), 

before the COVID–19 pandemic, up to 1 in 5 children 

who were 3 to 17 years of age reported a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder; 

Whereas, according to the CDC, the COVID–19 pandemic 

has been associated with mental health challenges; 

Whereas the ‘‘Stress in America 2021: Stress and DecisionMaking during the Pandemic’’ poll found that— 

(1) 32 percent of adults, including 48 percent of 

Millennials, have so much stress about the COVID–19 

pandemic that they struggle to make basic decisions, 

such as what to wear or what to eat; 

(2) 59 percent of adults experienced behavior 

changes as a result of stress in the past month; and 

(3) 63 percent of adults agreed that uncertainty 

about what the next few months would be like caused 

stress for those individuals; 

Whereas the April 2, 2021, CDC Morbidity and Mortality 

Weekly Report found that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of adults with symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder during the 7 days preceding 

the study rose from 36.4 percent in August 2020 to 41.5 

percent in February 2021; 

Whereas a Household Pulse Survey in December 2021 found 

that 30.7 percent of adults reported symptoms of anxiety 

or depressive disorder, which is up from 11 percent in 

2019, and, among those adults, 27.8 percent reported an 

unmet need for counseling or therapy; 

Whereas, according to the CDC, nearly 1 in 6 children has 

a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder, such as 


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anxiety or depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (commonly referred to as ‘‘ADHD’’), autism spectrum disorder (commonly referred to as ‘‘ASD’’), disruptive behavior disorder, or Tourette syndrome; 

Whereas, according to data collected by the CDC in 2021, 37 

percent of high school students reported that they experienced poor mental health during the COVID–19 pandemic, and 44 percent of those students reported they 

persistently felt sad or hopeless; 

Whereas, according to the CDC, mental health disorders are 

chronic conditions, and, without proper diagnosis and 

treatment with respect to those disorders, children can 

face problems at home, in school, and with their development; 

Whereas, according to the CDC, children with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders benefit from early diagnosis and treatment; 

Whereas the Federal Government supports a variety of programs aimed at providing behavioral and mental health 

resources to children and youth; 

Whereas, according to the National Institute of Mental 

Health, 50 percent of all lifetime cases of mental illness 

begin by 14 years of age, 75 percent of those illnesses 

begin by 24 years of age, and 20 percent of youth between 13 and 18 years of age live with a mental health 

condition; 

Whereas an August 2021 study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that the prevalence of depression and anxiety 

symptoms during COVID–19 has doubled from pre-pandemic rates; 


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Whereas, in December 2021, the Surgeon General of the 

Public Health Service, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued a new 

Surgeon General’s Advisory— 

(1) to highlight the urgent need for families, educators and schools, community organizations, media and 

technology companies, and governments to address the 

worsening youth mental health crisis in the United 

States; and 

(2) that noted that— 

(A) youth mental health challenges have been 

on the rise, even before the COVID–19 pandemic; 

and 

(B) from 2007 to 2018, the suicide rate among 

youth between 10 and 24 years of age increased by 

57 percent; 

Whereas Imperial College London estimates that more than 

214,000 children in the United States have lost a parent 

or primary caregiver to COVID–19, which continues to 

raise concerns about the emotional well-being of children; 

Whereas, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Behavioral Health Workforce Projections, 

many areas of the United States are currently experiencing a shortage of behavioral health care providers, 

particularly those with experience in treating children 

and adolescents; 

Whereas a July 2021 survey by the National Council for 

Mental Wellbeing found that, during the 12-month period 

preceding the study— 

(1) 49 percent of LGBTQ+ adults experienced more 

stress and mental health challenges, but only 41 percent 

said they received treatment or care of any kind for their 

mental health; 


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(2) 46 percent of Black adults experienced more 

stress and mental health challenges, but only 21 percent 

said they received treatment or care of any kind for their 

mental health; 

(3) 45 percent of Native American adults experienced more stress and mental health challenges, but only 

24 percent received treatment or care of any kind for 

their mental health; 

(4) 42 percent of Hispanic adults experienced more 

stress and mental health challenges, but only 26 percent 

said they received treatment or care of any kind for their 

mental health; 

(5) 40 percent of Asian adults experienced more 

stress and mental health challenges, but only 11 percent 

said they received treatment or care of any kind for their 

mental health; and 

(6) 47 percent of all adults surveyed stated that the 

cost of help or treatment was an obstacle in seeking 

treatment for their mental health; 

Whereas the number of adults reporting suicidal ideation in 

2021 increased by 664,000 when compared with the 

2020 dataset; 

Whereas the 2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report stated that veterans— 

(1) account for 13.7 percent of suicides among 

United States adults; and 

(2) have a 52.3 percent greater rate of suicide than 

the non-veteran United States population; 

Whereas individuals between 10 and 24 years of age account 

for 14 percent of all suicides; 

Whereas suicide is the ninth leading cause of death for adults 

between 35 and 64 years of age, and adults between 35 


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and 64 years of age account for 47.2 percent of all suicides in the United States; 

Whereas, in 2021, adults with disabilities were 3 times more 

likely to report suicidal ideation, at 30.6 percent in the 

month preceding the study, compared to individuals without disabilities, at 8.3 percent; and 

Whereas it would be appropriate to observe May 2022 as 

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

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the designation of May 2022 as 

3 ‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’ to remove the 

4 stigma associated with mental illness and place em5 phasis on scientific findings regarding mental health 

6 recovery; 

7 (2) declares mental health to be a national pri8 ority; 

9 (3) recognizes that mental well-being is as im10 portant as physical well-being for citizens, commu11 nities, schools, businesses, and the economy in the 

12 United States; 

13 (4) applauds the coalescing of national, State, 

14 local, medical, and faith-based organizations in— 

15 (A) working to promote public awareness 

16 of mental health; and 

17 (B) providing critical information and sup18 port during the COVID–19 pandemic to indiVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jun 08, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR662.ATS SR662

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1 viduals and families affected by mental illness; 

2 and 

3 (5) encourages all people of the United States 

4 to draw on ‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’ as 

5 an opportunity to promote mental well-being and 

6 awareness, ensure access to appropriate coverage 

7 and services, and support overall quality of life for 

8 those living with mental illness. 

Æ 


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