On the recordMay 11, 2011
May is Mental Health Month, and as the cochair of the Mental Health Caucus, I bring to you information, especially on the military. Since 2001 to current date, we have had 2,103 military service personnel die by suicide, suicide, my friends, in the Iraq and Afghan wars. In the Afghan war alone, it is over 1,000, more than some of the figures we have listened to recently. One in five servicemembers suffer from major depression, posttraumatic syndrome, or traumatic brain injury, TBI. It affects the military and their families, their children. There's lots of divorce because of this and substance abuse that continues as they age. We must expand mental health services to our military personnel and their families. Through their blood and their service they have earned it. We owe it to them. We've made some strides, but we've got a long way to go, Mr. Speaker. We need to reduce the stigma, accept it as the illness that it is, and expand mental health services. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the military members and their families during May, Mental Health Month. ____________________
