| R 270 |
| 2022 -- H 8203 Enacted 05/03/2022 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| COMMEMORATING MAY OF 2022, AS "MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
Introduced By: Representatives Kazarian, Carson, Fogarty, Cortvriend, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Casimiro, Solomon, Giraldo, and McNamara |
| Date Introduced: May 03, 2022 |
| WHEREAS, A mental illness is a condition that affects a person's thinking, feeling or |
| mood and every year, millions of Americans are faced with the reality and circumstances of |
| living with this condition; and |
| WHEREAS, Since 1949, Mental Health America, joined by organizations from across |
| the country, have led the observance of May as Mental Health Month, with the mission of raising |
| awareness and educating the public about mental health. This year marks its 73rd Anniversary; |
| and |
| WHEREAS, Mental Health Awareness Month strives to fight the stigma, attitudes, and |
| misconceptions that surround mental illnesses, and to provide support, educate the public, and |
| advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families; and |
| WHEREAS, One of the main reasons why individuals do not seek professional help is |
| due to the stigma that surrounds mental health. Individuals are afraid to seek the help and |
| treatment they need because they may be judged, ridiculed and shunned by others or they may |
| even judge themselves and resultantly, they often live in silence about their undiagnosed mental |
| health disorder; and |
| WHEREAS, Anyone can experience the challenges of mental illness regardless of their |
| background, age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion or economic status; and |
| WHEREAS, Depression affects over 18 million people in the United States each year. It |
| is the number one cause of disability worldwide and the primary reason why a person dies of |
| suicide every fourteen minutes; and |
| WHEREAS, Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States and more than |
| 47,000 people are dying by suicide each year; and |
| WHEREAS, The pandemic has had a disruptive impact on the lives of people worldwide, |
| with nearly 45 percent of adults in the United State reporting that their mental health has been |
| negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the virus, but for teenagers and young people, |
| particularly those in the LGBTQ community, the experience has been overwhelming, accelerating |
| an already worrying decline in their mental health and spurring a youth mental health crisis; and |
| WHEREAS, Before COVID-19 struck, approximately 1 in 5 adolescents worldwide was |
| already living with mental health conditions and suicide was the third leading cause of death for |
| teens between the ages of 15 and 19, and the resulting restrictions from the virus has precipitated |
| an epidemic of mental health conditions among children and young people; and |
| WHEREAS, Mental Health Awareness Month is a time to bring about change through |
| compassion, concern, open-mindedness, and understanding, and to celebrate the journeys of |
| resiliency and recovery of individuals living with mental illness; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby |
| commemorates May of 2022, as "Mental Health Awareness Month", and urges schools, |
| businesses, government agencies, and healthcare providers to commit to promoting and ensuring |
| innovative prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, and to spreading awareness through education |
| programs and understanding for mental health issues; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral |
| Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals and the Mental Health Association of |
| Rhode Island (MHARI). |
| ======== |
| LC005854 |
| ======== |