Political Quotes

“it is always an honor to represent my great State, to stand and speak in front of my colleagues and before the American people. But today is particularly special for me as my parents are here in the Gallery, and I rise today with great concerns for our country as a parent myself. As a mom of two, I know firsthand the struggles that parents face with raising their children. You add doing that in this digital age, and obstacles and challenges become that much more great. Our country is in the throes of a mental health crisis. And don't just take my word for it. Just look at the data. Twenty percent of Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2021. When looking at just girls, that number then increases to 29 percent. This crisis--and crisis doesn't even really feel strong enough when we are talking about rates this high--is alarming, and recent developments show us that. But before that, let's rewind. Between the years of 2011 and 2019, depression rates amongst our teenagers more than doubled. The number of adolescents who reported experiencing a major depressive episode shot up 60 percent from 2007 to 2019. Emergency room visits by children and teens for anxiety, mood disorders, and self-harm increased sharply during this time as well, and suicide rates among our children, between the ages of 10 and then all the way to 24, which had been stable the previous decade, jumped by almost 60 percent.…”