IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1206 
Expressing support for the designation of May 2024 as ‘‘Mental Health 
Awareness Month’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 7, 2024 
Mrs. NAPOLITANO (for herself, Mr. BEYER, Ms. SALINAS, Mrs. WATSON 
COLEMAN, Mr. TRONE, Ms. NORTON, Ms. PORTER, Mr. TONKO, Mr. 
PETERS, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. TORRES of New York, Ms. CHU, Mr. 
KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. SABLAN, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. KIM 
of New Jersey, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, Ms. SHERRILL, 
Ms. PETTERSEN, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Ms. MOORE
of Wisconsin, Ms. 
BARRAGA´N, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. BACON, Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Ms. LEE of Ne-
vada, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. BALINT, Ms. 
TOKUDA, Ms. STANSBURY, Mrs. TRAHAN, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. 
MCCOLLUM, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. COSTA, Ms. BROWNLEY, and Mr. NOR-
CROSS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the designation of May 2024 as 
‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’. 
Whereas Americans across the country continue to confront 
an ongoing mental health crisis; 
Whereas we continue to see increasing reports of loneliness, 
stress, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and sub-
stance abuse; 
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(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 2024 Household Pulse Survey found 
that 17.7 percent of adults reported symptoms of anxiety 
disorder; 
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 October 14, 2022, CDC Morbidity and Mortality 
Weekly Report found that 3 in 4 high school students ex-
perienced at least 1 adverse childhood experience during 
the COVID–19 pandemic and that these experiences in-
crease an individual’s likelihood to report poor mental 
health or suicidal behavior in the future; 
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Whereas the May 12, 2023, CDC Morbidity and Mortality 
Weekly Report found that between 2020 and 2023, the 
number of pediatric emergency department visits associ-
ated with mental health conditions increased and was 
most pronounced in girls between the ages of 12 and 17; 
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, de-
pression, anxiety, and self-harm; 
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 Sum-
mary and Trends Report: 2011–2021, found that— 
(1) nearly 3 in 5 teenage girls in the United States 
felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, which is double 
that of boys and the highest levels reported in decades; 
(2) 30 percent of teenage girls in the United States 
seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year; 
and 
(3) youth experienced high and worsening levels of 
persistent sadness or hopelessness across all racial and 
ethnics 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; 
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(2) 14 percent of heterosexual high school students 
and 47 percent of LGBTQ+ high school students seri-
ously 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 actu-
ally attempted suicide during the last 12 months; 
Whereas, according to the 2023 National Survey on LGBTQ 
Youth Mental Health conducted by The Trevor Project, 
56 percent of LGBTQ youth who wanted mental health 
care in the past year were not able to get it and 41 per-
cent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting 
suicide over this same time period; 
Whereas disparities remain in access to mental health treat-
ment for communities of color, with Asian, Native Amer-
ican, Hispanic, and Black individuals less likely to receive 
mental health care than their White 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 experi-
encing 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 expe-
rienced more stress and mental health challenges, but 
only 24 percent have received treatment for mental 
health; 
(3) 42 percent of Hispanic adults report experi-
encing more stress and mental health challenges, but just 
26 percent say they have received mental health treat-
ment; 
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(4) 40 percent of Asian adults say they are experi-
encing 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; 
Whereas suicide is a significant public health issue that can 
have an enduring impact on individuals and their commu-
nities; 
Whereas additional resources should be dedicated to the pre-
vention 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, according to the CDC, the total number of deaths 
by suicide in the United States increased by 2.6 percent 
between 2021 and 2022; 
Whereas provisional data published by the CDC in November 
2023 found that— 
(1) suicide is one of the leading causes of death in 
the United States; and 
(2) the number of suicides was 3 percent higher in 
2022 than it was in 2021; 
Whereas veterans are more likely to experience mental health 
challenges than nonveterans; 
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Whereas it is important that the United States provide addi-
tional funding and resources to support veterans with 
mental health needs; 
Whereas the 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention An-
nual Report found that— 
(1) 6,392 veterans died by suicide in 2021, which is 
a daily average of 17.5; 
(2) the suicide rate for veterans was 71.8-percent 
greater than for nonveteran United States adults; and 
(3) the suicide rate was highest among veterans be-
tween the ages of 18 and 34; and 
Whereas it would be appropriate to observe May 2024 as 
‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the designation of ‘‘Mental Health 
Awareness Month’’ to remove the stigma associated 
with mental illness and place emphasis on scientific 
findings regarding mental health recovery; 
(2) declares mental health a national priority; 
(3) supports the expansion of funding for men-
tal health services; 
(4) recognizes that mental well-being is equally 
as important as physical well-being for citizens, com-
munities, schools, businesses, and the economy in 
the United States; 
(5) applauds the coalescing of national, State, 
local, medical, and faith-based organizations in 
working to promote public awareness of mental 
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