IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 134 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that there should be established a 
Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness 
Month to enhance public awareness of mental illness, especially within 
minority communities. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 30, 2007 
Mr. WYNN (for himself and Ms. WATSON) submitted the following concurrent 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that there should be 
established a Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority 
Mental Health Awareness Month to enhance public 
awareness of mental illness, especially within minority 
communities. 
Whereas mental illness is one of the leading causes of disabil-
ities in the United States, affecting one out of every four 
families in America and victimizing both those with the 
illness and those who care for and love those afflicted; 
Whereas according to the National Alliance for Mentally Ill 
(NAMI), the direct and indirect costs to the workplace 
resulting from mental illness total over $34,000,000 an-
nually; 
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•HCON 134 IH 
Whereas the National Institute of Mental Health has re-
ported that many people suffer from more than one men-
tal disorder at a given time and 45 percent of those with 
any mental disorder meet criteria for two or more dis-
orders, with severity strongly related to comorbidity (in-
cluding diabetes, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, and 
cancer); 
Whereas according to the 1999 Surgeon General’s Report on 
Mental Illness, more than 54,000,000 Americans have a 
mental disorder in any given year, although fewer than 
8,000,000 seek treatment; 
Whereas according to the same Surgeon General’s Report on 
Mental Illness, adult Caucasians who suffer from depres-
sion or an anxiety disorder are more likely to receive 
treatment than adult African Americans with the same 
disorders even though the disorders occur in both groups 
at about the same rate, when taking into account socio-
economic factors; 
Whereas according to a report from the Office of Minority 
and National Affairs for the American Psychiatric Asso-
ciation, although mental illness impacts all people, Afri-
can Americans experience a much greater unmet need for 
mental health services and receive a lesser quality of 
care, thereby resulting in mental health disparities; 
Whereas the three major brain diseases—schizophrenia, bipo-
lar disorder, and depression—adversely affect the econ-
omy, contribute to the rise in incarceration rates, and 
erode the quality of family life of those involved; 
Whereas nearly two-thirds of all people with a diagnosable 
mental illness do not seek mental health treatment due 
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to stigma, lack of community-based resources, inadequate 
diagnosis, or no diagnosis; 
Whereas according to the June 28, 2005, Washington Post 
article ‘‘Racial Disparities Found in Pinpointing Mental 
Illness’’, African Americans in the United States are 
more than four times as likely to be diagnosed with schiz-
ophrenia as Caucasians, and Hispanics are more than 
three times as likely to be diagnosed as Caucasians; 
Whereas communities of color are in need of culturally and 
linguistically competent mental health resources, includ-
ing the provision of mental health services by health care 
providers from multi-ethnic communities, and the train-
ing of all health care providers to serve multi-ethnic con-
sumers; 
Whereas advocacy for traditional mental health organizations 
must be encouraged to incorporate and integrate minority 
mental health education and outreach within their respec-
tive portfolios; 
Whereas there are disproportionate numbers of African 
Americans, Latinos, Asians, and others of color affected 
by a lack of resources for mental illness, and they com-
prise racially, ethnically, and linguistically unserved, un-
derserved, and inappropriately served communities within 
the mental health system; 
Whereas the 2002 Building Blocks for Youth ‘‘Action Report 
on Behalf of Latino and Latina Youth in the U.S. Jus-
tice System’’ highlighted the alarmingly disproportionate 
rates of Latinos and African-American youth in the jus-
tice system and indicated these youth receive harsher 
treatment than Caucasian youth charged for the same 
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types of offenses and many of these youth have emotional 
disorders and mental health problems; 
Whereas other research studies estimate that 50 to 70 per-
cent of all youth in the juvenile justice system have men-
tal health problems that are usually undiagnosed, 
misdiagnosed, untreated, or badly treated, thus leaving 
those incarcerated in vulnerable conditions; 
Whereas minority mental health consumers often fall into the 
category of the ‘‘working poor’’, facing additional chal-
lenges because they are underinsured or uninsured, which 
often leads to late diagnosis or no diagnosis of mental ill-
ness; 
Whereas the faith, customs, values, and traditions of a vari-
ety of African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and other un-
derserved groups must be taken into consideration when 
attempting to treat and diagnose mental illnesses; 
Whereas a small percentage of African Americans receive 
mental health treatment, and a significant percentage 
refuse treatment or view mental health treatment as the 
‘‘treatment of last resort’’, due to the stigma associated 
with mental illness; 
Whereas according to the 1999 Surgeon General’s Report on 
Mental Illness, African Americans are misdiagnosed at a 
higher rate within the mental health delivery system, and 
greater effort must be made to accurately assess the 
mental health of African Americans; 
Whereas there is a need to improve public awareness of men-
tal illness and to strengthen local and national awareness 
of brain diseases in order to assist with advocacy for per-
sons of color with mental illness, so that they may receive 
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adequate and appropriate treatment that will result in 
their becoming fully functioning members of society; 
Whereas there is a need for culturally competent mental 
health service delivery for people of color; 
Whereas community mobilization of resources is needed to 
educate, advocate for, and train mental health providers 
to help remove barriers to treatment of mental disorders; 
Whereas access to mental health treatment and services is of 
paramount importance; 
Whereas there is a need to encourage primary care physicians 
to offer screening, partner with mental health providers, 
and seek the appropriate referral to specialists and to en-
courage timely and accurate diagnosis; 
Whereas the late Bebe Moore Campbell (mother, grand-
mother, wife, friend, advocate, celebrated writer and jour-
nalist, noted author, radio commentator, community ac-
tivist, co-founder of National Alliance for the Mentally Ill 
Urban Los Angeles, University of Pittsburgh Trustee and 
educator, and recipient of numerous awards and honors) 
was recognized for her tireless advocacy and fight to 
bring awareness and attention to mental illness among 
minorities with the release of her New York Times best 
selling novel, ‘‘72 Hour Hold’’, and her children’s book 
‘‘Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry’’, which both bring 
awareness to the plight of those with brain disorders; 
Whereas Bebe Moore Campbell through her dedication and 
commitment sought to move communities to support 
mental wellness through effective treatment options, open 
access to mental health treatment and services, and im-
prove community outreach and support for the many 
loved ones who are unable to speak for themselves; and 
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Whereas July would be an appropriate month to recognize as 
Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health 
Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) open access to mental health treatment and 
services and public awareness of mental illness is of 
paramount importance; 
(2) there is an important need for improved ac-
cess to care, treatment and services, including em-
ployment and housing for those diagnosed with se-
vere and persistent mental health disorders, and im-
proved public awareness of mental illness; and 
(3) an appropriate month should be recognized 
as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental 
Health Awareness Month to enhance public aware-
ness of mental illness and mental illness among mi-
norities. 
Æ 
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