IV 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 671 
Prioritizing mental health to the same degree as physical health to address 
the epidemics of suicide and drug overdose in the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 2, 2025 
Mr. THANEDAR (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. MRVAN, and Mrs. DINGELL) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Prioritizing mental health to the same degree as physical 
health to address the epidemics of suicide and drug over-
dose in the United States. 
Whereas mental health and physical health are inseparable; 
Whereas mental health conditions require the same degree of 
attention as physical health conditions; 
Whereas mental health and substance use parity require-
ments for health insurance plans must be firmly en-
forced; 
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (in this resolution referred to as ‘‘CDC’’), in 
2023, suicide was responsible for 49,316 deaths, or about 
1 death every 11 minutes; 
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Whereas, according to the CDC, in 2023, an estimated 
110,037 lives were lost to drug overdoses; 
Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, men-
tal health and many common mental disorders are sig-
nificantly shaped by the social, economic, and physical 
environments in which people live; 
Whereas social vulnerability, a metric that quantifies the im-
pact of the social determinants of health on county-level 
populations, is directly associated with risk for adult sui-
cide; 
Whereas, according to research published in Addictive Behav-
iors Reports, adults with a history of adverse childhood 
experiences (in this resolution referred to as ‘‘ACEs’’) 
have a 4.3-fold higher likelihood of developing a sub-
stance use disorder; 
Whereas cultural stigma against mental health disorders is 
an especially notable social determinant of mental health; 
Whereas there is a growing body of research on the associa-
tion between mental health stigma and suicidal actions; 
Whereas additional research must be conducted to better un-
derstand the relationship; 
Whereas cultural stigma against mental illness can lead indi-
viduals to engage in self-medication practices, such as il-
licit drug use, instead of seeking out professional assist-
ance; 
Whereas, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration’s (in this resolution re-
ferred to as ‘‘SAMHSA’’) 2024 National Survey on Drug 
Use and Health Report, an estimated 23.4 percent, or 
61,500,000, adults aged 18 or older reported having any 
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•HRES 671 IH 
mental illness (in this resolution referred to as ‘‘AMI’’) 
in the past year; 
Whereas, according to SAMHSA, an estimated 5.6 percent, 
or 14,600,000, adults aged 18 or older reported having 
a serious mental illness (in this resolution referred to as 
‘‘SMI’’) in the past year; 
Whereas, according to SAMHSA, in 2024, among adults 
aged 18 or older, those who reported having SMI or AMI 
in the past year were more likely to have been past year 
users of illicit drugs than those without mental illness in 
the past year; 
Whereas, according to SAMHSA, 57.4 percent of adults aged 
18 or older with SMI and 44.1 percent of adults with 
AMI reported to have been past-year users of illicit 
drugs; 
Whereas 21.2 percent for adults aged 18 or older with no 
mental illness reported to have been past year users of 
illicit drugs; 
Whereas, according to SAMHSA, in 2024, 16.8 percent of in-
dividuals aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder 
in the past year; 
Whereas, to prevent the perpetuation of this dangerous cycle, 
mental health education and awareness must begin from 
an early age, and school-based mental health resources 
must be better utilized and better funded to achieve this 
goal; and 
Whereas mental illness stigma, and specifically self-stigma, is 
a significant barrier to mental health services for adoles-
cents and adults that must be addressed: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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(1) expresses support for parity between insur-
ance coverage of mental health and physical health 
treatment, including full enforcement of existing 
Federal laws concerning mental health parity; 
(2) works to extinguish mental health stigmas 
in the United States; 
(3) supports the 2024 National Strategy for 
Suicide Prevention; and 
(4) seeks to provide as many resources and 
funds as possible to combat the epidemics of suicide 
and drug overdose by— 
(A) promoting Federal, State, Tribal, and 
local initiatives to retain and expand the mental 
health workforce; 
(B) supporting access to and coverage of 
medication-assisted treatment; 
(C) adopting evidence-based suicide pre-
vention strategies; 
(D) funding linguistically, culturally, and 
age appropriate services; 
(E) improving quality, coverage, and acces-
sibility of crisis care service; and 
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(F) highlighting health promotion cam-
paigns that utilize digital media to target ado-
lescents and young adults. 
Æ 
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