| II 109TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 201 Designating September 14, 2005, as ‘‘National Attention Deficit Disorder Awareness Day’’ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JULY 19, 2005 Ms. CANTWELL (for herself and Mr. DURBIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary JULY 27, 2005 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating September 14, 2005, as ‘‘National Attention Deficit Disorder Awareness Day’’. Whereas Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (also known as AD/HD or ADD), is a chronic neurobiological disorder, affecting both children and adults, that can significantly interfere with an individual’s ability to regulate activity level, inhibit behavior, and attend to tasks in developmentally appropriate ways; Whereas AD/HD can cause devastating consequences, including failure in school and the workplace, antisocial behavior, encounters with the justice system, interpersonal difficulties, and substance abuse; Whereas AD/HD, the most extensively studied mental disorder in children, affects an estimated 3 percent to 7 percent (2,000,000) of young school-age children and an estimated 4 percent (8,000,000) of adults across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines; Whereas scientific studies clearly indicate that AD/HD runs in families and suggest that genetic inheritance is an important risk factor, with between 10 and 35 percent of children with AD/HD having a first-degree relative with past or present AD/HD, and with approximately 50 percent of parents who had AD/HD having a child with the disorder; Whereas despite the serious consequences that can manifest in the family and life experiences of an individual with AD/HD, studies indicate that less than 85 percent of adults with the disorder are diagnosed and less than one- half of children and adults with the disorder are receiving treatment; Whereas poor and minority communities are particularly underserved by AD/HD resources; Whereas the Surgeon General, the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institute of Mental Health, among others, recognize the need for proper diagnosis, education, and treatment of AD/HD; Whereas the lack of public knowledge and understanding of the disorder play a significant role in the overwhelming numbers of undiagnosed and untreated cases of AD/HD, and the dissemination of inaccurate, misleading information contributes to the obstacles preventing diagnosis and treatment of the disorder; Whereas lack of knowledge, combined with the issue of stigma associated with AD/HD, has a particularly detrimental effect on the diagnosis and treatment of AD/HD; Whereas there is a need to educate health care professionals, employers, and educators about the disorder and a need for well-trained mental health professionals capable of conducting proper diagnosis and treatment activities; and Whereas studies by the National Institute of Mental Health and others consistently reveal that through proper and comprehensive diagnosis and treatment, the symptoms of AD/HD can be substantially decreased and quality of life for the individual can be improved: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate (1) designates September 14, 2005, as ‘‘National Attention Deficit Disorder Awareness Day’’; (2) recognizes Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) as a major public health concern; (3) encourages all people of the United States to find out more about AD/HD and its supporting mental health services, and to seek the appropriate treatment and support, if necessary; (4) expresses the sense of the Senate that the Federal Government has a responsibility to– (A) endeavor to raise public awareness about AD/HD; and (B) continue to consider ways to improve access to, and the quality of, mental health services dedicated to the purpose of improving the quality of life for children and adults with AD/HD; and (5) calls on Federal, State and local administrators and the people of the United States to observe the day with appropriate programs and activities. |