Youth Mental Health

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Bowman for organizing this hour to discuss such a critical issue, and I thank him for his leadership.

Madam Speaker, today I rise in support of the opportunity to shine light on this critical issue of mental health. Our children are our most precious treasures. For many of us, they are our reason why.

Why we work two jobs. Why we go to school. Why we try to overcome personal challenges and become the best version of ourselves. Yet, our system is failing to help our dear children fight their own demons. From kindergartners to young adults, young people of all ages are struggling with mental health and that they are not being met with the services they need to be happy, to be healthy, and tragically, to save their lives.

It is truly a crisis, and like most crises we face, the situation is worse for some communities than others, and certainly it is the case for communities of color.

Here is a terrifying statistic: Black children under the age of 13 are twice as likely to die by suicide compared to their White peers-- twice as likely.

Further, children who survive natural disasters--like many of my constituents in southeast Louisiana--are left with emotional scars that can impact them for their entire lives. A new study published by the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that the stress of experiencing a natural disaster during a pregnancy can substantially increase the risk of childhood depression and anxiety.

It is clear that we are in a crisis, and we must act to meet the moment. I am so grateful that the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies of New Orleans has been granted $400,000 from HHS for an initiative to help identify health and wellness policies that are successful in improving Black youth mental health, and including suicide prevention.

This year, Congress just passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which will help keep guns out of the hands of individuals who are in danger of potentially hurting themselves or others. But this historic bill also includes $500 million for school-based mental health services, and millions more for certified community behavioral health clinics and mental health telehealth.

This year, we also launched the 988 hotline, a mental health hotline and text line, where people can reach trained counselors in their time of need. We must, we can, we will do more. We must make mental health service easy, accessible, and affordable to everyone, particularly our children.

We must tear down the stigma and equalize mental health and physical health. It is okay to not be okay. Everyone needs support at a different point in their lives. Everyone needs a little extra help sometimes. Everyone can feel a little down sometimes. Everyone has issues that they think are insurmountable. But guess what? With help, with treatment, help is there, and you can survive it. You have got to know that.

Don't ever be afraid to ask for help. Don't ever be afraid to admit that you just don't feel right. Don't ever be afraid to admit that you don't fit in, that you feel different. Help is there. And we have all had moments where we needed help. You have got to know that you can survive, and you will survive this.

We must all be trained about the signs of mental health crises and look out for one another. Implementing many of these programs and supporting the mental health professionals who provide these services may have a significant price tag, and from my perspective, it is essential.

Any dollar that we spend, any money that we appropriate that saves a life, that gives individuals hope that we care and that resources are available, are dollars well spent.

We need to do more. We need to invest in programs and have staff that change and save lives. We need to do it now. We need to continue to fight. Our children are worth it.

When someone has high blood pressure, they exercise, they diet, they take a pill. If someone has diabetes, they exercise, they diet, they take a pill. They modify their lifestyles, and they are not ashamed to admit those things. Mental health is no different.

There is nothing wrong with admitting that you may need help because help is there for you, and we know empirically that the resources are there, and they make a difference. We have got to get away from feeling like if we need help that somehow some way that means something is wrong with me. Well, there is nothing wrong with you. There is nothing more wrong with you than a person that has a headache who takes an aspirin.

There is nothing more wrong with you than somebody who has high blood pressure and takes blood pressure medicine. We can fix it. You are not alone. It is important that you know.

To anyone who is struggling, who has children or young people in their lives who are struggling, you are not alone. You will never be alone. Things will get better.

Reach out. 988 is available to you 24/7. Experts are waiting to heed your call. Organizations are funded to help you. We are here to help you.

You are not alone, and you can and will survive.

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