PRINTER'S NO. 545
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 67
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, SCHLOSSBERG, McNEILL, FREEMAN,
HILL-EVANS, GIRAL, WAXMAN, PASHINSKI, VENKAT, KENYATTA,
MAYES, HANBIDGE, STEELE, KHAN, CERRATO, VITALI, HOHENSTEIN,
HADDOCK, NEILSON, HOWARD, GALLAGHER, RIVERA, D. WILLIAMS,
DEASY, O'MARA, CARROLL, GREEN AND SHUSTERMAN,
FEBRUARY 10, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, FEBRUARY 10, 2025
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing the month of May 2025 as "Mental Health Awareness
2 Month" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Mental health is critical to the overall well-being
4 of individuals, families, communities and businesses; and
5 WHEREAS, Mental illnesses are biologically based brain
6 disorders that cannot be overcome through willpower and are not
7 related to an individual's character or intelligence; and
8 WHEREAS, Mental health issues can affect individuals of any
9 race, religion, economic status or age; and
10 WHEREAS, Mental illnesses usually strike individuals in the
11 prime of their lives, often during adolescence and young
12 adulthood; and
13 WHEREAS, Individuals with mental illness have the same needs
14 and are guaranteed the same rights as all Americans; and
15 WHEREAS, Individuals with mental illness experience
16 discrimination in education, employment and housing; and
 1 WHEREAS, A lack of full and proper treatment for individuals
2 with mental illness costs public and private employers hundreds
3 of billions of dollars annually through absenteeism, turnover
4 and low productivity; and
5 WHEREAS, In 2021, the National Institutes of Health estimated
6 that more than 20% of adolescents 12 to 17 years of age, a
7 population of 5 million adolescents, experienced a major
8 depressive episode (MDE); and
9 WHEREAS, Individuals are classified as having an MDE if they
10 experience a depressed mood or loss of interest in daily
11 activities and have additional symptoms, including problems with
12 sleep, eating, energy, concentration or self-worth, over a
13 certain period of time; and
14 WHEREAS, The National Institute of Mental Health estimates
15 approximately 59.3 million adults in the United States have a
16 mental illness that includes a mental, behavioral or emotional
17 disorder; and
18 WHEREAS, Proper identification and treatment of mental
19 illnesses, including support, are proven to be effective and are
20 vitally important to assist individuals in leading full,
21 productive lives; therefore be it
22 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
23 month of May 2025 as "Mental Health Awareness Month" in
24 Pennsylvania; and be it further
25 RESOLVED, That all government agencies, public and private
26 institutions, businesses, schools and residents of this
27 Commonwealth strive to increase awareness and understanding of
28 mental illnesses and the need for appropriate and accessible
29 services for individuals with mental illness throughout the
30 communities of this Commonwealth.
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