Prioritizing mental health to the same degree as physical health to address the epidemics of suicide and drug overdose in the United States.

This House resolution expresses the view that mental health should be treated with the same priority as physical health and urges stronger enforcement of mental health parity in insurance coverage. It identifies the epidemics of suicide and drug overdose as urgent public health crises and calls for action to reduce these harms through a multi-pronged approach. The resolution supports enforcing existing federal parity laws, reducing stigma, and aligning policy with the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. It outlines concrete areas where the House seeks to mobilize resources and efforts, including expanding the mental health workforce, promoting access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT), adopting evidence-based suicide prevention strategies, funding culturally and linguistically appropriate services, improving crisis care, and using digital media to reach adolescents and young adults. As a resolution, it expresses intent and guidance for future legislative and funding efforts rather than creating new law or authorizing new spending by itself. The bill’s stated motivation includes mounting statistics on suicide and overdose deaths, the role of social determinants and stigma in mental health outcomes, and the link between mental illness and substance use. It emphasizes early education, especially in schools, to counter stigma and improve access to services for young people, and it seeks to elevate mental health to a comparable status with physical health across policy and practice.