Mental Health Month

Floor Speech

MENTAL HEALTH MONTH -- (Extensions of Remarks - May 23, 2007)

* Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues that May is Mental Health Month. I would also like to thank those who have dedicated their lives to mental healthcare.

* Now more than ever, we must commit ourselves to full mental health parity. An estimated 26 percent of Americans between the ages 18 and older suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. This means that 57.7 million people currently suffer from a mental disorder. Millions who suffer from serious, debilitating, and life altering mental disorders. Mental disorders such as Alzheimer's, Schizophrenia and Bi-Polar Disorder. Nearly two thirds of all people with diagnosable mental disorders do not seek treatment.

* The burden of mental illness on health and productivity amongst society in the United States has been underestimated. A massive study conducted by the World Health Organization, The World Bank, and Harvard University, discovered that mental illness, accounts for over 15 percent of the burden of disease in market economies, such as the United States. This is more than the burden caused by cancers.

* I am grateful to the Committee on Education and the Workforce for reauthorizing the Older Americans Act. The Older Americans Act supports the mental health needs of the elderly. Nearly 236 elderly people per 100,000 suffer from a mental illness. The highest suicide rate in America is among those aged 65 and older. Elderly men are the demographic area that is most likely to commit suicide. Specifically, I want to ensure that senior citizens have access to mental health services in their respective communities or wherever they receive primary health care services. I would like to commend the Honorable Patrick Kennedy for his efforts in providing mental health parity in Medicare. I am pleased that we are beginning to make some headway on this important issue.

Source