[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 671 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 671

  Prioritizing mental health to the same degree as physical health to 
   address the epidemics of suicide and drug overdose in the United 
                                States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 2, 2025

  Mr. Thanedar (for himself, Ms. Norton, Mr. Mrvan, and Mrs. Dingell) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                         on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Prioritizing mental health to the same degree as physical health to 
   address the epidemics of suicide and drug overdose in the United 
                                States.

Whereas mental health and physical health are inseparable;
Whereas mental health conditions require the same degree of attention as 
        physical health conditions;
Whereas mental health and substance use parity requirements for health insurance 
        plans must be firmly enforced;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (in this 
        resolution referred to as ``CDC''), in 2023, suicide was responsible for 
        49,316 deaths, or about 1 death every 11 minutes;
Whereas, according to the CDC, in 2023, an estimated 110,037 lives were lost to 
        drug overdoses;
Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, mental health and many 
        common mental disorders are significantly shaped by the social, 
        economic, and physical environments in which people live;
Whereas social vulnerability, a metric that quantifies the impact of the social 
        determinants of health on county-level populations, is directly 
        associated with risk for adult suicide;
Whereas, according to research published in Addictive Behaviors Reports, adults 
        with a history of adverse childhood experiences (in this resolution 
        referred to as ``ACEs'') have a 4.3-fold higher likelihood of developing 
        a substance use disorder;
Whereas cultural stigma against mental health disorders is an especially notable 
        social determinant of mental health;
Whereas there is a growing body of research on the association between mental 
        health stigma and suicidal actions;
Whereas additional research must be conducted to better understand the 
        relationship;
Whereas cultural stigma against mental illness can lead individuals to engage in 
        self-medication practices, such as illicit drug use, instead of seeking 
        out professional assistance;
Whereas, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
        Administration's (in this resolution referred to as ``SAMHSA'') 2024 
        National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report, an estimated 23.4 
        percent, or 61,500,000, adults aged 18 or older reported having any 
        mental illness (in this resolution referred to as ``AMI'') in the past 
        year;
Whereas, according to SAMHSA, an estimated 5.6 percent, or 14,600,000, adults 
        aged 18 or older reported having a serious mental illness (in this 
        resolution referred to as ``SMI'') in the past year;
Whereas, according to SAMHSA, in 2024, among adults aged 18 or older, those who 
        reported having SMI or AMI in the past year were more likely to have 
        been past year users of illicit drugs than those without mental illness 
        in the past year;
Whereas, according to SAMHSA, 57.4 percent of adults aged 18 or older with SMI 
        and 44.1 percent of adults with AMI reported to have been past-year 
        users of illicit drugs;
Whereas 21.2 percent for adults aged 18 or older with no mental illness reported 
        to have been past year users of illicit drugs;
Whereas, according to SAMHSA, in 2024, 16.8 percent of individuals aged 12 or 
        older had a substance use disorder in the past year;
Whereas, to prevent the perpetuation of this dangerous cycle, mental health 
        education and awareness must begin from an early age, and school-based 
        mental health resources must be better utilized and better funded to 
        achieve this goal; and
Whereas mental illness stigma, and specifically self-stigma, is a significant 
        barrier to mental health services for adolescents and adults that must 
        be addressed: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses support for parity between insurance coverage 
        of mental health and physical health treatment, including full 
        enforcement of existing Federal laws concerning mental health 
        parity;
            (2) works to extinguish mental health stigmas in the United 
        States;
            (3) supports the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide 
        Prevention; and
            (4) seeks to provide as many resources and funds as 
        possible to combat the epidemics of suicide and drug overdose 
        by--
                    (A) promoting Federal, State, Tribal, and local 
                initiatives to retain and expand the mental health 
                workforce;
                    (B) supporting access to and coverage of 
                medication-assisted treatment;
                    (C) adopting evidence-based suicide prevention 
                strategies;
                    (D) funding linguistically, culturally, and age 
                appropriate services;
                    (E) improving quality, coverage, and accessibility 
                of crisis care service; and
                    (F) highlighting health promotion campaigns that 
                utilize digital media to target adolescents and young 
                adults.
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