| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, National Mental Health Month is observed each May to |
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| 6 | 7 | | raise awareness about mental illness and related issues in the |
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| 7 | 8 | | United States; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Good mental health is essential to one's overall |
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| 9 | 10 | | health and well-being, but each year one in five adults, of any age, |
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| 10 | 11 | | gender, race, ethnicity, religion, and economic status, face mental |
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| 11 | 12 | | health issues; and |
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| 12 | 13 | | WHEREAS, Studies have shown that about a third of all people |
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| 13 | 14 | | experiencing mental illnesses and about half of the people living |
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| 14 | 15 | | with severe mental illnesses also confront or battle against |
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| 15 | 16 | | substance abuse, and about a third of all alcohol abusers and more |
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| 16 | 17 | | than half of all drug abusers report experiencing a mental illness; |
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| 17 | 18 | | and |
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| 18 | 19 | | WHEREAS, People with mental illness can achieve recovery and |
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| 19 | 20 | | wellness when appropriate mental health services and support are |
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| 20 | 21 | | available; cognitive behavioral therapy is particularly effective |
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| 21 | 22 | | in helping people with dual diagnoses learn to cope and to change |
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| 22 | 23 | | ineffective patterns of thinking, and involving families through |
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| 23 | 24 | | psychoeducation is an important component of successful mental |
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| 24 | 25 | | health and substance abuse treatment; moreover, publication of a |
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| 25 | 26 | | diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders has vastly |
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| 26 | 27 | | increased innovation in psychiatric treatment and clarified |
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| 27 | 28 | | diagnosis in a wide range of practice settings, and current |
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| 28 | 29 | | treatment is now more objective, consistent, and effective than |
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| 29 | 30 | | treatment in the past; and |
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| 30 | 31 | | WHEREAS, Recovery does not happen in isolation, however; it |
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| 31 | 32 | | requires a sufficient number of licensed health care providers, |
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| 32 | 33 | | including psychologists, marriage and family therapists, licensed |
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| 33 | 34 | | professional counselors, social workers, and psychiatrists, who |
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| 34 | 35 | | use their training and clinical skills to diagnose and treat |
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| 35 | 36 | | patients; and |
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| 36 | 37 | | WHEREAS, "The Mental Health Workforce Shortage in Texas" |
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| 37 | 38 | | report identifies the lack of mental health professionals and |
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| 38 | 39 | | primary care practitioners in rural communities, and this shortage |
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| 39 | 40 | | results in greater difficulty in developing the multidisciplinary, |
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| 40 | 41 | | integrated service that would be optimal for people with comorbid |
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| 41 | 42 | | conditions; and |
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| 42 | 43 | | WHEREAS, As of March 2009, more than two-thirds of Texas' 254 |
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| 43 | 44 | | counties were designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas for |
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| 44 | 45 | | mental health; state agencies and community health care |
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| 45 | 46 | | organizations report extensive problems in recruiting and training |
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| 46 | 47 | | psychologists, marriage and family therapists, licensed |
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| 47 | 48 | | professional counselors, social workers, and psychiatrists, and it |
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| 48 | 49 | | is estimated that only 39 percent of persons with mental illness and |
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| 49 | 50 | | 11 percent of persons with substance abuse issues receive needed |
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| 50 | 51 | | treatment; and |
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| 51 | 52 | | WHEREAS, The economic value of providing appropriate and |
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| 52 | 53 | | timely access to mental health services can be measured beyond |
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| 53 | 54 | | individual patient benefits to include cost savings to state and |
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| 54 | 55 | | local hospitals and reduced expenditures by state agencies and |
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| 55 | 56 | | programs, including the criminal and juvenile justice systems, |
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| 56 | 57 | | children and family services, housing, and employment; and |
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| 57 | 58 | | WHEREAS, Increased funding has been provided, but even with |
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| 58 | 59 | | these new funds, challenges remain to keep up with demand, to ensure |
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| 59 | 60 | | that the delivery system is strong, and to better integrate |
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| 60 | 61 | | behavioral health into the traditional health care system; |
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| 61 | 62 | | professional oversight, training, and clinical experience are all |
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| 62 | 63 | | essential to the effectiveness of mental health licensees, and |
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| 63 | 64 | | their success is crucial to meeting the ongoing challenges facing |
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| 64 | 65 | | the efficient delivery of quality mental health services; now, |
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| 65 | 66 | | therefore, be it |
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| 66 | 67 | | RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 67 | 68 | | hereby commend mental health professionals for their invaluable |
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| 68 | 69 | | contributions to the citizens of this state and extend to them |
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| 69 | 70 | | sincere best wishes for success with their important work. |
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