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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Americans owe a profound debt of gratitude to the |
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brave men and women who have served in our nation's military, and |
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the mental health of those veterans should be a paramount concern to |
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every Texan; and |
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WHEREAS, There are 18 million military veterans across the |
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nation, and approximately 1.7 million of them have been found to |
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have a mental health condition, including depression, anxiety, and |
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substance abuse disorders, as well as such serious mental illnesses |
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as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; more than 1.4 million |
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veterans live in the Lone Star State, with certain counties |
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possessing some of the highest concentrations of veterans in the |
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nation; in our state alone, the number of veterans who died by |
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suicide increased from 496 in 2017 to 511 in 2018; and |
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WHEREAS, Structural barriers inhibit veterans' access to |
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critical mental health services, and these are further complicated |
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by such factors as their military identity, the stigma surrounding |
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mental illness, and the culture gap between military and civilian |
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life; the result is that veterans are significantly less likely to |
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receive mental health care than the civilian population, with more |
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than 50 percent of returning veterans failing to receive any mental |
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health care at all; and |
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WHEREAS, Raising awareness of the need to provide veterans |
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with better access to mental health care is a necessary first step |
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in addressing this pressing issue; as they work to heal the scars of |
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war and negotiate the difficult transition to civilian life, our |
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veterans deserve the support of their fellow citizens so that they |
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may pursue rich and purposeful lives; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize May 19, 2021, as Veteran Mental Health |
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Awareness Day in the state of Texas. |