HP 1522

STATE OF MAINE
  _____
  IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
  TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX
  _____
  JOINT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING MAY 2026 AS MENTAL
  HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
     WHEREAS, the mental health and well-being of all children, youth, adults and families
in the State are of fundamental importance to the Legislature; and
    WHEREAS, since 1999, the national suicide rate has increased more than 36%, with more
than 13.2 million individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts and 1.6 million individuals
attempting suicide annually in the United States; and
   WHEREAS, over 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022, which is about one death every
11 minutes; and
    WHEREAS, suicide, opioid misuse and addiction and children's mental health issues are
areas of concern in the State; and
    WHEREAS, there are approximately 61,000 adults in the State who are living with a
serious mental illness, including, but not limited to, bipolar disorder, severe depression and
schizophrenia, and 14,000 children 12 to 17 years of age in the State have depression; and
   WHEREAS, over 260,000 people in the State live in a community that does not have
enough mental health professionals; and
    WHEREAS, the effective treatment of mental health conditions is critical to reducing the
number of individuals and families who find themselves in mental health crises, to breaking
individual and generational cycles of mental illness and to promoting healing; and
    WHEREAS, recovery from a mental illness requires access to professional services and
involves families and caregivers as allies in recovery and as critical members of the care
delivery team; and
    WHEREAS, maintaining an open dialogue regarding mental health conditions encourages
individuals struggling with mental illness to seek help and is an essential component to fighting
the stigma associated with mental illness; now, therefore, be it
     RESOLVED: That We, the Members of the One Hundred and Thirty-second Legislature
now assembled in the Second Regular Session, on behalf of the people we represent, take this
opportunity to recognize May 2026 as Mental Health Awareness Month in order to raise
awareness of mental health conditions and services and to break the stigma surrounding mental
illness in the State.
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