SCR 131, as introduced, Beall. National Mental Health Awareness Month.
This measure would recognize May 2016 as National Mental Health Awareness Month in California to enhance public awareness of mental illness.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, Mental illness is one of the leading causes of
2disabilities in the United States, affecting one out of every four
3families and victimizing both the person with the illness and those
4persons who care for and love the person afflicted; and
5WHEREAS, Serious mental illness costs Americans
6approximately $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year; and
7WHEREAS, The National Institute of Mental Health has
8reported that many people suffer from more than one mental
9disorder at a given time and that 45 percent of those with any
10mental disorder meet criteria for two or more disorders, including
11diabetes, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDs, and cancer, and the
12severity of the mental disorder strongly relates to comorbidity;
13and
14WHEREAS, Fifty-seven million Americans have a mental
15disorder in any given year, but fewer than 40 percent of adults
16living with a mental illness, and slightly more than one-half of
P2 1youth 8 to 15 years of age, with a mental illness received mental
2health services in the last year; and
3WHEREAS, Although mental illness impacts all people, many
4of those in lower-income communities receive less care, poorer
5quality of care, and often lack access to culturally competent care,
6thereby resulting in mental health disparities; and
7WHEREAS, Some see negative perceptions about mental health
8care as a significant factor contributing to limited or nonexistent
9access to care, and some common concerns are stigma, culture,
10masculinity, exposure to violence, and lack of information and
11awareness, among many others; and
12WHEREAS, According to the California Reducing Disparities
13Project report, being misdiagnosed and given severe mental health
14diagnoses can be stigmatizing and can affect the person’s
15self-esteem, which, in turn, can discourage the person from seeking
16help; and
17WHEREAS, The three major brain diseases, schizophrenia,
18bipolar disorder, and depression, adversely affect the economy,
19contribute to the rise of incarceration rates, and erode the quality
20of life for patients and their loved ones; and
21WHEREAS, Nearly two-thirds of all people with a diagnosable
22mental illness do not receive mental health treatment due to stigma,
23lack of community-based resources, inadequate diagnosis, or no
24diagnosis; and
25WHEREAS, An estimated 70 percent of all youth in the juvenile
26justice system have at least one mental health condition, and at
27least 20 percent live with severe mental illness that is usually
28undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, untreated, or ineffectively treated,
29thus leaving those detained in the juvenile justice system in a
30vulnerable condition; and
31WHEREAS, There is a need to improve public awareness of
32mental illness and to strengthen local and national awareness of
33brain diseases, so that all those with mental illness may receive
34adequate and appropriate treatment that will result in their
35becoming fully functioning members of society; and
36WHEREAS, Access to mental health treatment and services is
37of paramount importance; and
38WHEREAS, There is a need to encourage primary care
39physicians to offer screenings, to partner with mental health care
P3 1providers, to seek appropriate referrals to specialists, and to
2encourage timely and accurate diagnoses of mental disorders; and
3WHEREAS, The Legislature wishes to enhance public
4awareness of mental illness, now, therefore, be it
5Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
6thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California
7hereby recognizes May 2016 as National Mental Health Awareness
8Month in California to enhance public awareness of mental illness;
9and be it further
10Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
11this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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