America’s Mental Health Crisis: What Must Change
Mental health across our nation is in alarming decline. Teen and young adult suicide rates have surged, with youth aged 10–24 facing a 56% rise in suicides over the past decade en.wikipedia.org+1kff.org+1. In 2023, over 46,000 lives were lost to gun-related deaths—including more than 27,000 suicides—often driven by underlying mental health issues publichealth.jhu.edu. Adding to this burden, exposure to gun violence—through personal experience or media—dramatically increases stress and suicidal thinking, especially in marginalized communities psychiatrictimes.com+6theguardian.com+6kff.org+6.
💻 Cyberbullying: A Silent Crisis
Our schools and online spaces are failing our kids. While nearly every state requires bullying policies in schools, laws follow, but lack enforcement and only rarely apply to off-campus digital harassment stopbullying.gov+4cyberbullying.org+4findlaw.com+4. Heartbreakingly, cyberbullying has led to teenage suicides—remember Ryan Halligan, who was tormented until he took his own life from online attacks findlaw.com+2en.wikipedia.org+2theverge.com+2. It's time for Congress to enact comprehensive cyberbullying and online-harassment laws—including criminal accountability for platforms that ignore complaints leading to tragic outcomes.
🏛️ A Bipartisan Plan to Revive Mental Health Care
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Rebuild Psychiatric Facilities
The deinstitutionalization of the 1960s left hundreds of thousands without care—many ending up homeless or incarcerated en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org. We must reinvest in modern psychiatric hospitals, while properly staffed and community-linked, to ensure intensive care when early intervention fails. -
Expand Community-Based & Crisis Services
Mobile Crisis Teams (like CAHOOTS and STAR) have proven effective at de-escalating mental health emergencies en.wikipedia.org. Federal matching grants should support 24/7 mental health response teams statewide, helping communities across District 1. -
Boost Research, Telehealth & Training
We need robust investment in research on trauma, loneliness, youth mental health, and the mental-health impacts of exposure to violence. Expand telehealth and mental health apps to reach underserved populations , and integrate mental health literacy into school curriculums to demystify conditions early and reduce stigma.
💬 Why This Matters
Our mental health is not just a personal matter—it’s a community imperative. Preventing suicide, reducing violence, and supporting recovery depends on a fully funded, proactive system. By combining strong anti-harassment laws, institutional care, crisis response, education, and research, we can reduce suffering and heal a nation in distress.
✅ Call to Action
Join me in championing a comprehensive mental health and anti-bullying legislative agenda—one that holds platforms and institutions accountable and ensures no one is left to struggle alone.
