IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 640 
Expressing support for designation of May 2012 as Mental Health Month. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 27, 2012 
Mrs. NAPOLITANO (for herself, Mr. BACA, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. 
BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. 
CICILLINE, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. DAVIS of Illi-
nois, Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. FARR, Mr. FIL-
NER, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
GUTIERREZ, Ms. HAHN, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. HINOJOSA, Ms. 
HIRONO, Mr. HONDA, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. CROWLEY, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. 
KUCINICH, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of 
California, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. LUJA´N, Mrs. MALONEY, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. 
MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of Cali-
fornia, Ms. MOORE, Mr. OLVER, Mr. OWENS, Mr. PASTOR of Arizona, 
Mr. PIERLUISI, Mr. POLIS, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. REYES, Ms. ROYBAL- 
ALLARD, Mr. RUSH, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Ms. LINDA T. SA´NCHEZ of Cali-
fornia, Ms. SCHWARTZ, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. STARK, Mr. 
THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. THOMP-
SON of California, Mr. TONKO, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. VAN 
HOLLEN, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. WATERS, Mr. WATT, Mr. 
WAXMAN, Ms. WOOLSEY, Ms. CHU, Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania, and 
Mr. AUSTRIA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for designation of May 2012 as Mental 
Health Month. 
Whereas the mental health and well-being of people in the 
United States is a critical issue that affects not only 
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•HRES 640 IH 
quality of life, but also the health of communities, fami-
lies, and economic stability; 
Whereas the stigma associated with mental health continues 
to persist; 
Whereas more than 57,000,000 people in the United States 
suffer from mental illness; 
Whereas approximately 1 in 5 children and adolescents has 
a diagnosable mental disorder; 
Whereas more than a quarter of the members of the United 
States Armed Forces suffer from psychological or neuro-
logical injuries sustained from combat, including major 
depression and post-traumatic stress disorder; 
Whereas more than half of all prison and jail inmates suffer 
from mental illness; 
Whereas mental illness is the leading cause of disability in 
the Nation; 
Whereas major mental illness costs businesses and the United 
States economy over $193,000,000,000 per year in lost 
earnings; 
Whereas untreated mental illness is a leading cause of absen-
teeism and lost productivity in the workplace; 
Whereas in 2005, over 32,000 individuals died by suicide in 
the United States, nearly twice the rate of homicide; 
Whereas suicide is the third leading cause of death among 
youth between the ages of 15 and 24; 
Whereas in 2004, individuals age 65 and older comprised 
only 12.4 percent of the population but accounted for 
16.6 percent of all suicides, and the rate of suicide 
among older people is higher than for any other age 
group; 
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Whereas 1 in 4 Latin American adolescents report seriously 
contemplating suicide, a rate higher than any other de-
mographic; 
Whereas Native Americans currently rank as the top eth-
nicity for suicide rates nationwide; 
Whereas studies report that people with serious mental illness 
die, on average, 25 years earlier than the general popu-
lation; and 
Whereas it would be appropriate to observe May 2012 as 
Mental Health Month: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the designation of Mental Health 
Month in order to place emphasis on scientific facts 
and findings regarding mental health and to remove 
the stigma associated with mental illness; 
(2) recognizes that mental well-being is equally 
as important as physical well-being for citizens, com-
munities, businesses, and the economy in the United 
States; 
(3) applauds the coalescing of national and 
community organizations in working to promote 
public awareness of mental health and providing 
critical information and support to the people and 
families affected by mental illness; 
(4) supports the finding of the President’s 
Commission on Mental Health that the Nation’s fail-
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ure to prioritize mental health is a national tragedy; 
and 
(5) encourages all organizations and health 
practitioners to use Mental Health Month as an op-
portunity to promote mental well-being and aware-
ness, ensure access to appropriate services, and sup-
port overall quality of life for those living with men-
tal illness. 
Æ 
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