IV
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. RES. 212
Recognizing suicide as a national problem, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 31, 1997
Mr. LEWIS of Georgia (for himself, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr.
BERRY, Mr. CAPPS, Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN, Mr. CLEMENT, Mr. EVANS,
Mr. FLAKE, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. MATSUI, Mrs. MEEK of
Florida, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. RAMSTAD, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr.
SANDERS, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. TRAFICANT, Mr. VENTO,
Mr. WEXLER, and Mr. WYNN) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Commerce
RESOLUTION
Recognizing suicide as a national problem, and for other
purposes.
Whereas suicide, the ninth leading cause of all deaths in the
United States and the third such cause for young persons
ages 15 through 24, claims over 31,000 lives annually,
more than homicide;
Whereas suicide attempts, estimated to exceed 750,000 annu-
ally, adversely impact the lives of millions of family mem-
bers;
Whereas suicide completions annually cause over 200,000
family members to grieve over and mourn a tragic suicide
•HRES 212 IH
death for the first time, thus creating a population of
over 4,000,000 such mourners in the United States;
Whereas the suicide completion rate per 100,000 persons has
remained relatively stable over the past 40 years for the
general population, and that rate has nearly tripled for
young persons;
Whereas the suicide rate is rising among African American
young men;
Whereas the suicide completion rate is highest for adults over
65;
Whereas the stigma associated with mental illness works
against suicide prevention by keeping persons at risk of
completing suicide from seeking lifesaving help;
Whereas the stigma associated with suicide deaths seriously
inhibits surviving family members from regaining mean-
ingful lives;
Whereas suicide deaths impose a huge unrecognized and
unmeasured economic burden on the United States in
terms of potential years of life lost, medical costs in-
curred, and work time lost by mourners;
Whereas suicide is a complex, multifaceted biological, socio-
logical, psychological, and societal problem;
Whereas even though many suicides are currently prevent-
able, there is still a need for the development of more ef-
fective suicide prevention programs;
Whereas suicide prevention opportunities continue to increase
due to advances in clinical research, in mental disorder
treatments, and in basic neuroscience, and due to the de-
velopment of community-based initiatives that await eval-
uation; and
•HRES 212 IH
Whereas suicide prevention efforts should be encouraged to
the maximum extent possible: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) recognizes suicide as a national problem and
declares suicide prevention to be a national priority;
(2) acknowledges that no single suicide preven-
tion program or effort will be appropriate for all
populations or communities;
(3) encourages initiatives dedicated to—
(A) preventing suicide;
(B) responding to people at risk for suicide
and people who have attempted suicide;
(C) promoting safe and effective treatment
for persons at risk for suicidal behavior;
(D) supporting people who have lost some-
one to suicide; and
(E) developing an effective national strat-
egy for the prevention of suicide; and
(4) encourages the development, and the pro-
motion of accessibility and affordability, of mental
health services, to enable all persons at risk for sui-
cide to obtain the services, without fear of any
stigma.
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