Chris Murphy: “The goal of the Mental Health Caucus is to raise awareness both in Congress and among the public of the importance of…”

“The goal of the Mental Health Caucus is to raise awareness both in Congress and among the public of the importance of mental health; and it is fitting that this week we speak because it is Suicide Awareness Week, and it is really the first issue that this caucus is taking up on speaking on the floor. Every 18 minutes someone in this country takes their own life, and suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States and third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds. The American Society of Suicidology found that 4 to 8 percent of adolescents attempted suicide within the last 12 months, and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that half a million teens attempt suicide each year. In 2000, suicide attempts outnumbered homicides by five to three. In that same year, in my home State of Pennsylvania, 1,356 people took their own lives.”