Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank my Colleague Congresswoman Plaskett for anchoring tonight's Congressional Black Caucus Special Order on Mental…”

“I thank my Colleague Congresswoman Plaskett for anchoring tonight's Congressional Black Caucus Special Order on Mental Health. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Those experiencing mental health problems can have difficulty thinking, experience mood swings or inappropriate emotional reactions to everyday events, and behavior or engagement with others could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including: biological factors can include individual brain chemistry; traumatic life experiences, such as the sudden death of a loved one, involvement in a major accident, traumatic experiences during times of war or as a consequence of serious illness; family history of mental health problems. People can experience different types of mental health disorders, such as: Uncontrolled anxiety, behavioral, eating disorders (anorexia, and bulimia are two frequently cited problems); substance abuse; mood problems such as overwhelming feelings of sadness, personality changes; psychotic behavior, and suicidal thoughts. African American adults are 20 percent more likely to experience mental health issues than the rest of the population. 25 percent of African Americans seek treatment for a mental health issue, compared to 40 percent of white individuals.…”