I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1570 
To enhance mental health and psychosocial support within United States 
development and humanitarian assistance programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 10, 2023 
Ms. WILD (for herself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, 
Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. MOULTON, Mrs. MCBATH, and Ms. TITUS) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs 
A BILL 
To enhance mental health and psychosocial support within 
United States development and humanitarian assistance 
programs. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mental Health in 
International Development and Humanitarian Settings 
Act’’ or the ‘‘MINDS Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:17 Mar 25, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1570.IH
H1570
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
(1) According to the World Health Organiza-
tion (WHO), an estimated 1,000,000,000 individuals 
worldwide have a mental health or substance use 
disorder, and The Lancet estimates that nearly 
130,000,000 additional cases of major depressive 
and anxiety disorders globally in 2020 resulted from 
the COVID–19 pandemic. 
(2) According to WHO, depression is among 
the primary causes of illness and disability in adoles-
cents. One-half of mental health disorders emerge by 
age 14, and 14 percent of children and adolescents 
worldwide experience mental health conditions, the 
majority of whom do not seek care, receive care, or 
have access to care. 
(3) According to the United Nations, more than 
1 out of every 5 individuals in conflict-affected areas 
has 
a 
mental 
health 
disorder. 
Roughly 
1,500,000,000, or 2 out of every 3 of the world’s 
children under 18 years of age live in countries af-
fected by conflict, and more than 1 out of every 6 
children live in conflict zones. A greater number of 
children live in areas affected by armed conflict and 
war now than at any other point this century. The 
mental health burden in conflict-affected contexts is 
twice the global average. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:17 Mar 25, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1570.IH
H1570
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
(4) According to the World Health Organiza-
tion, risk factors that increase susceptibility to men-
tal health disorders include poverty and hunger, 
chronic health conditions, trauma or maltreatment, 
social exclusion and discrimination, and exposure to 
and displacement by war or conflict. These risk fac-
tors, along with demographic risk factors, manifest 
at all stages in life. Preliminary research already il-
lustrates that the COVID–19 pandemic has in-
creased communities’, families’, and individuals’ risk 
factors for multiple types of adversity and com-
pounded preexisting conditions and vulnerabilities. 
(5) According to a Lancet Commission report, 
allocations for mental health have never risen above 
1 percent of health-related global development as-
sistance. Estimates indicate that child and adoles-
cent mental health receives just 0.1 percent of 
health-related global development assistance. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) helping to ensure that individuals have the 
opportunity to thrive and reach their fullest poten-
tial is a critical component of effective and sustain-
able international development efforts; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:17 Mar 25, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1570.IH
H1570
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
(2) mental health is integral and essential to 
overall health outcomes and other development ob-
jectives; 
(3) mental health is an issue of critical and 
growing importance for United States development 
and humanitarian assistance programs that requires 
coordinated efforts to ensure that programming 
funded by the United States Government is evi-
dence-based, culturally competent, and trauma-in-
formed; 
(4) the relevant United States Government de-
velopment and humanitarian assistance strategies 
should include a mental health and psychosocial sup-
port component; 
(5) the redesign of the United States Agency 
for International Development reflects the nexus be-
tween humanitarian and development interventions 
and should be applied to all mental health and psy-
chosocial support efforts of United States develop-
ment and humanitarian assistance programs; and 
(6) ongoing efforts to improve social service 
workforce development and local capacity building 
are essential to expanding mental health and psycho-
social support activities across all United States de-
velopment and humanitarian assistance programs. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:17 Mar 25, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1570.IH
H1570
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS