Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, we have heard from Members from many different parts of the country, from Vermont to Michigan to California to Hawaii. As I said before, we must prioritize human connection and healthy relationships, and we have to craft policy and make bold investments to address our national mental health crisis. The percentage of U.S. adults who report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetimes has reached nearly 30 percent. This is almost a 10 percentage point increase since 2015. The percentage of Americans who currently have or are being treated for depression has also increased to almost 18 percent. These rates are the highest recorded by Gallup polling since it began measuring depression using the current form of data collection in 2015. It is impacting all of us, but I am particularly concerned about the toll it is having on our kids and teens. Thirty years ago, the greatest health threats to teenagers came from binge drinking, drunk driving, teen pregnancy, and smoking. These have all fallen sharply since then, but they have been surpassed by soaring rates of mental health disorders. In a little over a decade, the number of adolescents reporting depression has increased by 60 percent. Emergency room visits by adolescents are up as parents seek help for their teens who are struggling with anxiety, depression, and self-harm. Suicide rates among adolescents are up sharply, as well.…”