IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1242 
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 
MAY 17, 2024 
Mr. THANEDAR (for himself, Ms. JACKSON LEE, and Mr. SOTO) 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 2022, 49,476 Americans lost their lives to 
suicide, and a reported 105,384 Americans lost their lives 
to drug overdoses in 2023; 
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•HRES 1242 IH 
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 (ACEs) have a 4.3-fold higher likelihood of 
developing a substance 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, 
but more research must be done to identify a causal rela-
tionship; 
Whereas cultural stigma against mental illness can lead indi-
viduals to engage in self-medicative 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 (SAMHSA), among 
adults aged 18 or older in 2021, those with serious men-
tal illness (SMI) or any mental illness (AMI) were more 
likely than those without mental illness to have used il-
licit drugs in the past year (50.2 percent for SMI and 
39.7 percent for AMI verses 17.7 percent for adults aged 
18 or older with no mental illness); 
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•HRES 1242 IH 
Whereas, according to the National Alliance on Mental Ill-
ness, 33.5 percent of United States adults with mental 
illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2021, 
which is over, 19,400,000 individuals; 
Whereas, according to a 2022 literature review of 38 studies 
on mental health and opioid overdose, nearly all reviewed 
studies found a connection between mental disorder and 
overdose; 
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; 
Whereas 1 in 5 children living in the United States experi-
ence a mental disorders every year, and an estimated 
49.5 percent of adolescents had experienced a mental 
health disorder; 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— 
(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; 
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•HRES 1242 IH 
(3) supports the 2024 National Strategy for 
Suicide Prevention; 
(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 
(F) highlighting health promotion cam-
paigns that utilize digital media to target ado-
lescents and young adults. 
Æ 
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