2011 Assembly Joint Resolution 40
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: proclaiming May 2011 as Mental Health Awareness Month.
Whereas, mental health conditions are real and prevalent, affecting one in four members of our community; and
Whereas, four of the ten leading causes of disability in the United States and other developed countries are mental disorders; and
Whereas, fewer than one-third of adults and one-half of children living with a diagnosable mental disorder receive mental health services in a given year; and
Whereas, the failure to treat mental illnesses drives up costs across society through absenteeism, suicide, lost productivity, incarceration, unemployment, homelessness, and co-morbidity; and
Whereas, with effective treatment and prevention, individuals living with mental health conditions can recover and lead full, productive lives; and
Whereas, access to mental health treatment is obstructed by a number attitudinal, structural, and financial barriers; and
Whereas, each business, school, government agency, healthcare provider, organization, and citizen shares the burden of mental health problems in our society and should promote the importance and awareness of mental wellness within our communities; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the
assembly, the senate concurring, That the legislature hereby proclaims the month of May in 2011 as Mental Health Awareness Month.
