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S. 1373

STATUS INFORMATION

Senate Resolution
Sponsors: Senator Alexander
Document Path: l:\s-res\tca\016ment.mrh.tca.docx

Introduced in the Senate on April 20, 2010
Adopted by the Senate on April 20, 2010

Summary: Mental Illness Advocacy Day

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
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   4/20/2010  Senate  Introduced and adopted SJ-4

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

4/20/2010

TO DESIGNATE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2010, AS "MENTAL ILLNESS ADVOCACY DAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, mental illnesses are treatable brain disorders and recovery is not only possible, but probable with appropriate treatment; and

Whereas, one in four adults, approximately 1.1 million South Carolinians, experience a mental health disorder in a given year; and

Whereas, half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age fourteen, three quarters by age twenty-four; and

Whereas, despite effective treatments, there are long delays, sometimes decades, between first onset of symptoms and when people seek and receive treatment; and

Whereas, less than one-third of adults and half of children with a diagnosable mental disorder receive any mental health services in a given year; and

Whereas, over fifty percent of students with a mental disorder, age fourteen and older, drop out of high school, the highest dropout rate of any disability group; and

Whereas, racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to have access to mental health services and often receive a poorer quality of care; and

Whereas, individuals with serious mental illness face an increased risk of having chronic medical conditions; and

Whereas, housing for those with mental illness does not always follow treatment and is often inadequate or not available; and

Whereas, adults with serious mental illness die twenty-five years younger than other Americans, largely due to treatable medical conditions; and

Whereas, major depressive disorder affects 6.7 percent of adults. Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada in ages fifteen to forty-four. Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the U.S., and the third leading cause of death for ages ten to twenty-four. More than ninety percent of those who die by suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder; and

Whereas, there are more suicides each year than there are homicides, approximately one hundred suicides per day in the U.S.; and

Whereas, twenty-four percent of state prisoners and twenty-one percent of local jail prisoners have a recent history of a mental health disorder. Seventy percent of youth in juvenile justice systems have at least one mental disorder with at least twenty percent experiencing significant functional impairment from a serious mental illness; and

Whereas, about 2.4 million Americans, or 1.1 percent of the adult population, live with schizophrenia; and

Whereas, bipolar disorder affects 5.7 million American adults, approximately 2.6 percent of the adult population per year; and

Whereas, anxiety disorders, which include panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder, and phobias, affect about 18.1 percent of adults, an estimated forty million individuals; and

Whereas, PTSD affects a higher percentage of returning regular soldiers and guard; and

Whereas, anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with depression or addiction disorders. An estimated 5.2 million adults have co-occurring mental health and addiction disorders; and

Whereas, of adults using homeless services, thirty-one percent reported having a combination of these conditions; and

Whereas, in the U.S., the annual economic, indirect cost of mental illnesses is estimated to be $79 billion. Most of that amount, approximately $63 billion, reflects the loss of productivity as a result of illnesses. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the Senate, by this resolution, hereby designate Wednesday, April 21, 2010, as "Mental Illness Advocacy Day" in South Carolina.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to NAMI S.C. (National Alliance on Mental Illness South Carolina), MHA (Mental Health America), MIRCI (Mental Illness Recovery Center), S.C. Share, and Partners in Crisis.

This web page was last updated on April 23, 2010 at 11:22 AM