00                    SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 4                                                                   
01 Designating May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month; and designating May 4 - 10,                                      
02 2025, as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week.                                                                             
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04 WHEREAS one in five adults in the United States experiences a mental illness each                                     
05 year, and it is estimated that over 108,000 adults in the state have a mental health condition,                         
06 such as major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and a growing number of other                                
07 debilitating behavioral health conditions; and                                                                          
08       WHEREAS one in six youths aged 6 - 17 in the United States experiences a mental                                 
09 health disorder each year; and                                                                                          
10 WHEREAS, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and                                               
11 Prevention, the peak age of onset of a mental health disorder is adolescence and early                                  
12 adulthood, with half of all mental health conditions beginning by age 14, and 75 percent by                             
13 age 24; and                                                                                                             
14       WHEREAS it is estimated that over 8,000 youths in the state aged 12 - 17 experience                             
15 depression, 62.9 percent of whom did not receive care in the last year; and                                             
16       WHEREAS high school students with significant symptoms of depression are more                                   
01 than twice as likely to drop out as students without symptoms of depression; and                                        
02       WHEREAS more than half of the individuals in the United States with mental health                               
03 conditions did not receive treatment last year; and                                                                     
04       WHEREAS, with residents of the state struggling to receive needed mental health                                 
05 care, 29,000 adults in the state did not receive the care last year, with cost being the reason for                     
06 which over 42 percent of those individuals did not receive the care; and                                                
07       WHEREAS 377,470 residents of the state live in communities that do not have                                     
08 enough mental health professionals; and                                                                                 
09       WHEREAS anyone is susceptible to experiencing mental health difficulties, just as                               
10 anyone is susceptible to physical health issues and emergencies; and                                                    
11 WHEREAS, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in four                                            
12 patients receiving long-term treatment with an antipsychotic medication will experience                                 
13 tardive dyskinesia; and                                                                                                 
14 WHEREAS tardive dyskinesia affects approximately 600,000 people in the United                                         
15 States, and nearly 70 percent of Americans living with tardive dyskinesia have not yet been                             
16 diagnosed; and                                                                                                          
17 WHEREAS, although tardive dyskinesia may look or feel different from day to day, it                                   
18 is a chronic condition and symptoms may be persistent; and                                                              
19 WHEREAS one in eight emergency department visits in the United States is related                                      
20 to mental illness or substance use disorder; and                                                                        
21 WHEREAS suicide is a public health problem and leading cause of death in the                                          
22 United States; and                                                                                                      
23 WHEREAS the state ranks second in the nation in suicides per capita, suicide is the                                   
24 second leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 10 and 34 in the state, and,                          
25 on average, one person dies by suicide every 48 hours in the state; and                                                 
26 WHEREAS it is more important than ever to build a stronger mental health system                                       
27 that provides the care, support, and services needed to help people build better lives; and                             
28 WHEREAS the state of an individual's mental health affects the individual's ability to                                
29 navigate the environment and societal relationships, adapt to changing situations, and develop                          
30 healthy coping strategies; and                                                                                          
31 WHEREAS addressing complicated mental health needs with coordinated,                                                  
01 comprehensive mental health services provides a lifeline for families and individuals                                   
02 struggling with the complex process of locating appropriate treatment; and                                              
03       WHEREAS residents of the state must work together to overcome and eliminate the                                 
04 discrimination and stigma that may deter individuals from seeking consistent support and                                
05 adequate mental health treatment;                                                                                       
06 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages all residents of the                                      
07 state to recognize those affected by mental health issues and the important role that support,                          
08 acceptance, and mental health services play in enriching the lives of the residents of the state;                       
09 and be it                                                                                                               
10       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature designates May 4 - 10,                                       
11 2025, as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week; and be it                                                                   
12       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature designates May 2025 as                                       
13 Mental Health Awareness Month.