IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 372 
Expressing support for the designation of May 2023 as ‘‘Mental Health 
Awareness Month’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 9, 2023 
Mrs. NAPOLITANO (for herself, Mr. STEWART, Mr. BACON, Ms. BALINT, Ms. 
BARRAGA´N, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. BONAMICI, 
Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. BUDZINSKI, Ms. BUSH, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CAR-
SON, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. CHU, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. 
CORREA, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mrs. DINGELL, 
Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Mr. 
FITZPATRICK, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. HARDER of California, Mrs. 
HAYES, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. HOYLE of Oregon, Ms. JACKSON 
LEE, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KILMER, Mr. KIM of New 
Jersey, Ms. LEE of California, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. 
MATSUI, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, 
Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. NADLER, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. NOR-
TON, Mr. PETERS, Ms. PETTERSEN, Ms. PORTER, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. 
RUIZ, Mr. SABLAN, Ms. SALINAS, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. 
SORENSEN, Mr. THANEDAR, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. THOMP-
SON of Mississippi, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. TONKO, Mr. TORRES 
of New York, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. TRONE, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mrs. WATSON 
COLEMAN, Mr. COSTA, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, and Mrs. TORRES of Cali-
fornia) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the designation of May 2023 as 
‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:10 May 10, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\HR372.IH
HR372
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 372 IH 
Whereas mental health and well-being during the coronavirus 
(COVID–19) pandemic has taken a toll on and been 
stressful for millions of Americans; 
Whereas the effects of COVID–19 on mental health have 
been well-documented, and the need for additional treat-
ment services only continues to grow; 
Whereas, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in 2019, 
51,400,000 American adults lived with a mental illness 
prior to the pandemic; 
Whereas, according to Pew Research Center analysis in 2022, 
at least 4 in 10 American adults have experienced high 
levels of psychological distress since the initial outbreak 
of the COVID–19 pandemic; 
Whereas the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health 
conducted by SAMHSA found that— 
(1) the number of American adults living with a 
mental illness has risen from 51,400,000 in 2019 to 
57,800,000 in 2021; 
(2) nearly half of Americans between the ages of 18 
and 25 have lived with a mental illness during the past 
year; 
(3) 66 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 17 and 64 
percent of adults aged 18 or older felt that the COVID– 
19 pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental 
or emotional health; and 
(4) 3,300,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 
and 17 and 12,300,000 adults had serious thoughts of 
suicide during the past year; 
Whereas an October 2022 Kaiser Family Foundation/CNN 
Mental Health in America Survey found that— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:10 May 10, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR372.IH
HR372
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 372 IH 
(1) 90 percent of the public think that there is a 
mental health crisis in the United States today; 
(2) 55 percent of the public think that mental health 
issues in children and teenagers in the United States 
today are a crisis; 
(3) 47 percent of parents say that the COVID–19 
pandemic has had a negative impact on their child’s men-
tal health; and 
(4) 51 percent of all adults say they or a family 
member has experienced a severe mental health crisis; 
Whereas the Stress in America 2022 survey conducted by the 
American Psychological Association found that— 
(1) 27 percent of adults are so stressed that they 
struggle to function; 
(2) 46 percent of adults struggle to go to work or 
attend school because of stress; and 
(3) 62 percent of women and 51 percent of men be-
tween the ages of 18 and 34 feel completely overwhelmed 
by stress every day; 
Whereas the 2022 Access to Care Survey conducted by the 
National Council for Mental Wellbeing found that— 
(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 2023 Household Pulse Survey found 
that 28.2 percent of adults reported symptoms of anxiety 
disorder; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:10 May 10, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR372.IH
HR372
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 372 IH 
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), mental health disorders are chronic 
conditions, and without proper diagnosis and treatment 
children can face problems at home and in school which 
can interfere with their future development; 
Whereas more resources should be dedicated in schools to the 
prevention, early detection, and treatment of mental 
health disorders in children; 
Whereas childhood depression is more likely to persist into 
adulthood if it is left untreated; 
Whereas it is important that the United States provide the 
necessary funding and resources to reach children and 
youth early on in life; 
Whereas the February 18, 2022, CDC Morbidity and Mor-
tality Weekly Report found that between 2020 and 2022, 
the number of pediatric emergency department visits as-
sociated with mental health conditions increased and was 
most pronounced in girls between the ages of 12 and 17; 
Whereas the October 14, 2022, CDC Morbidity and Mortality 
Weekly Report found that 3 in 4 high school students ex-
perienced at least 1 adverse childhood experience during 
the COVID–19 pandemic and that these experiences in-
crease an individual’s likelihood to report poor mental 
health or suicidal behavior in the future; 
Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has accelerated the use of 
digital technologies, such as any social media; 
Whereas there has been a great concern about the impact of 
social media on the mental health of children and youth; 
Whereas social media does expose children to bullying, de-
pression, anxiety, and self-harm; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:10 May 10, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR372.IH
HR372
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 372 IH 
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 teen girls in the United States ex-
perienced depressive symptoms in 2021, which is double 
that of boys and the highest levels reported in decades; 
and 
(2) youth experienced high and worsening levels of 
persistent sadness or hopelessness across all racial and 
ethnic 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; 
(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 the 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ 
Youth Mental Health conducted by The Trevor Project, 
60 percent of LGBTQ youth who wanted mental health 
care in the past year were not able to get it and 45 per-
cent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting 
suicide over this same time period; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:10 May 10, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR372.IH
HR372
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 372 IH 
Whereas disparities remain in access to mental health treat-
ment for communities of color, with Asian, Native Amer-
ican, Hispanic, and Black individuals less likely to receive 
mental health care than their counterparts; 
Whereas a July 2021 survey conducted by the National 
Council for Mental Wellbeing found that from July 2020 
to July 2021— 
(1) 46 percent of Black adults say they are experi-
encing more stress and mental health challenges, but just 
21 percent say they have received treatment or care of 
any kind for their mental health; 
(2) 45 percent of Native American adults have expe-
rienced more stress and mental health challenges, but 
only 24 percent have received treatment for mental 
health; 
(3) 42 percent of Hispanic adults report experi-
encing more stress and mental health challenges, but just 
26 percent say they have received mental health treat-
ment; 
(4) 40 percent of Asian adults say they are experi-
encing more stress and mental health challenges, but just 
11 percent say they have received treatment or care of 
any kind; and 
(5) almost half (47 percent) of all adults surveyed 
stated that the cost of help or treatment is an obstacle 
in seeking treatment for their mental health; 
Whereas, in 2021, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 
over half of White, Hispanic, and Black adults say that 
the COVID–19 pandemic has had a negative impact on 
their mental health; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:10 May 10, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR372.IH
HR372
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 372 IH 
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 provisional data published by the CDC in September 
2022 found that— 
(1) suicide is the second leading cause of death in 
the United States for individuals between the ages of 10 
and 34; and 
(2) the number of suicides was 4 percent higher in 
2021 than it was in 2020; 
Whereas veterans are more likely to experience mental health 
challenges than civilians; 
Whereas it is important that the United States provide addi-
tional funding and resources to support veterans with 
mental health needs; 
Whereas the 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention An-
nual Report found that— 
(1) in 2020, there were 6,146 veteran suicides, 
which is a daily average of 16.8; 
(2) the suicide rate for veterans was 57.3 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 2023 as 
‘‘Mental Health Awareness Month’’: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:10 May 10, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR372.IH
HR372
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 372 IH 
(1) supports the designation of ‘‘Mental Health 
Awareness Month’’ to remove the stigma associated 
with mental illness and place emphasis on scientific 
findings regarding mental health recovery; 
(2) declares mental health a national priority; 
(3) supports the expansion of funding for men-
tal health services; 
(4) recognizes that mental well-being is equally 
as important as physical well-being for citizens, com-
munities, schools, businesses, and the economy in 
the United States; 
(5) applauds the coalescing of national, State, 
local, medical, and faith-based organizations in 
working to promote public awareness of mental 
health and providing critical information and sup-
ports to individuals and families affected by mental 
illness; and 
(6) encourages all to draw on ‘‘Mental Health 
Awareness Month’’ as an opportunity to promote 
mental well-being and awareness, ensure access to 
appropriate coverage and services, and support over-
all quality of life for those living with mental illness. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:10 May 10, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR372.IH
HR372
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB