Addressing the National Mental Health Crisis

Adopted at the 91st Annual Meeting in 2023

  • WHEREAS, while the United States was already in a mental health crisis prior to the global pandemic, the World Health Organization estimated that the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a 25% increase in depression and anxiety worldwide, and

    WHEREAS, children and persons of color are among those disproportionally impacted by a severe lack of mental health providers in the United States, and

    WHEREAS, according to the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, more than one-third in the United States, approximately $160 million people, live in a "Mental Health Professional Shortage Area," and

    WHEREAS, not coincidentally, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), fewer than half of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2021, and

    WHEREAS, studies have shown that the average delay between onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years, and

    WHEREAS, NAMI points to other studies that show:
    • People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population. People with serious mental illness are nearly twice as likely to develop these conditions.
    • 33% of U.S. adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2021 (19.4 million individuals)
    • Unemployment is higher among U.S. adults who have mental illness (7.4%) compared to those who do not (4.6%).
    • 21% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. have a serious mental health condition.
    • 20% of U.S. Veterans experienced a mental illness in 2020 (3.9 million people), and
    WHEREAS, many cities do not have public health departments and thus no formal access to appropriate resources to address mental health issues,

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors supports significant increases in federal resources for mental health services, mental health professional development, and mental health infrastructure through annual appropriations for agencies such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Health Resources and Services Administration at the Department of Health and Human Services.

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that addressing the mental health crisis is a top priority of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and USCM will collaborate with its partners in state, county, and other local governments to advocate for increased services, raise awareness of the increasing risks of the mental health crisis on our residents, and create improved and expanded pathways to care.
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