National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2016

Proclamation 9433 of April 28, 2016

National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Nearly 44 million American adults, and millions of
children, experience mental health conditions each
year, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder,
schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress. Although we
have made progress expanding mental health coverage and
elevating the conversation about mental health, too
many people still do not get the help they need. Our
Nation is founded on the belief that we must look out
for one another--and whether it affects our family
members, friends, co-workers, or those unknown to us--
we do a service for each other when we reach out and
help those struggling with mental health issues. This
month, we renew our commitment to ridding our society
of the stigma associated with mental illness, encourage
those living with mental health conditions to get the
help they need, and reaffirm our pledge to ensure those
who need help have access to the support, acceptance,
and resources they deserve.

In the last 7 years, our country has made extraordinary
progress in expanding mental health coverage for more
people across America. The Affordable Care Act
prohibits insurance companies from discriminating
against people based on pre-existing conditions,
requires coverage of mental health and substance use
disorder services in individual and small group
markets, and expands mental health and substance use
disorder parity policies, which are estimated to help
more than 60 million Americans. Nearly 15 million more
Americans have gained Medicaid coverage since October
2013, significantly improving access to mental health
care. And because of more than $100 million in funding
from the Affordable Care Act, community health centers
have expanded behavioral health services for nearly
900,000 people nationwide over the past 2 years. Still,
far too few Americans experiencing mental illnesses do
not receive the care and treatment they need. That is
why my most recent Budget proposal includes a new half-
billion dollar investment to improve access to mental
health care, engage individuals with serious mental
illness in care, and help ensure behavioral health care
systems work for everyone.

Our Nation has made strong advances in improving
prevention, increasing early intervention, and
expanding treatment of mental illnesses. Earlier this
year, I established a Mental Health and Substance Use
Disorder Parity Task Force, which aims to ensure that
coverage for mental health benefits is comparable to
coverage for medical and surgical care, improve
understanding of the requirements of the law, and
expand compliance with it. Mental health should be
treated as part of a person's overall health, and we
must ensure individuals living with mental health
conditions can get the treatment they need. My
Administration also continues to invest in science and
research through the BRAIN initiative to enhance our
understanding of the complexities of the human brain
and to make it easier to diagnose and treat mental
health disorders early.

One of our most profound obligations as a Nation is to
support the men and women in uniform who return home
and continue fighting battles against mental illness.
Last year, I signed the Clay Hunt SAV Act, which fills
critical gaps in serving veterans with post-traumatic
stress and other

illnesses, increases peer support and outreach, and
recruits more talented individuals to work on mental
health issues at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
This law will make it easier for veterans to get the
care they need when they need it. All Americans,
including service members, can get immediate assistance
by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
1-800-273-TALK or by calling 1-800-662-HELP.

During National Mental Health Awareness Month, we
recognize those Americans who live with mental illness
and substance use disorders, and we pledge solidarity
with their families who need our support as well. Let
us strive to ensure people living with mental health
conditions know that they are not alone, that hope
exists, and that the possibility of healing and
thriving is real. Together, we can help everyone get
the support they need to recover as they continue along
the journey to get well.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim May 2016 as National
Mental Health Awareness Month. I call upon citizens,
government agencies, organizations, health care
providers, and research institutions to raise mental
health awareness and continue helping Americans live
longer, healthier lives.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and fortieth.