Bill Text: TX HCR40 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Designating the Sunday through Saturday surrounding World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10, each year as Texas Suicide Prevention Week.
Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2011-03-24 - Signed by the Governor [HCR40 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HCR40-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Designating the Sunday through Saturday surrounding World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10, each year as Texas Suicide Prevention Week.
Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2011-03-24 - Signed by the Governor [HCR40 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HCR40-Introduced.html
| 82R841 MMS-D | ||
| By: Naishtat | H.C.R. No. 40 | |
|
|
||
| WHEREAS, Suicide is a major preventable cause of premature | ||
| death in the State of Texas; and | ||
| WHEREAS, According to the latest available figures, | ||
| approximately 30 Texans attempt suicide every day, and on average, | ||
| 6 attempts are completed; death by one's own hand stands as the 11th | ||
| leading cause of mortality in the state overall, ranking 7th among | ||
| men and 14th among women; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Suicide is the third leading cause of death for | ||
| young Texans and the second leading cause of death for college-age | ||
| youth; a large number of suicides occur among the middle-aged as | ||
| well, while the elderly suffer the highest rate; veterans and | ||
| active-duty military personnel in Texas are also at high risk for | ||
| suicide; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In addition to the personal suffering involved, | ||
| suicide entails significant social costs; the average medical | ||
| expense associated with each suicide death is $4,000, while the | ||
| medical cost of each suicide attempt averages nearly $9,000; in | ||
| addition, the "work loss" cost per suicide death has been | ||
| calculated at $1.2 million; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The causes of suicide are complex and include | ||
| psychological, biological, and sociological factors; among those | ||
| who die by suicide, 90 percent are suffering from an underlying | ||
| mental health or substance abuse condition; the most common mental | ||
| health problem affecting those who commit suicide is a depressive | ||
| disorder; sadly, the stigma attached to mental illness often | ||
| discourages individuals who are afflicted from seeking help; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Public health researchers, however, consider | ||
| suicide to be one of the most preventable causes of death; | ||
| opportunities for reducing the incidence of suicide continue to | ||
| improve, thanks to advances in neuroscience, progress in diagnosing | ||
| and treating mental illness, and the growing number of | ||
| community-based suicide prevention initiatives; and | ||
| WHEREAS, September 10 is now recognized annually as World | ||
| Suicide Prevention Day; within this country, the Substance Abuse | ||
| Mental Health Services Administration, the U.S. Suicide Prevention | ||
| Resource Center, the American Association of Suicidology, and the | ||
| American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, together with Mental | ||
| Health America of Texas and the Texas Suicide Prevention Council, | ||
| have endorsed the week encompassing September 10 as a time to | ||
| promote understanding about suicide and to highlight resources for | ||
| addressing its precipitating causes; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate the Sunday through Saturday surrounding World | ||
| Suicide Prevention Day, September 10, each year as Texas Suicide | ||
| Prevention Week. | ||
