WHEREAS, Mental illness is a health condition that impacts our emotional, psychological, and social well-being and affects how individuals think, feel, and act, including how they handle stress, relate to others, and make choices; and

WHEREAS, Substance use disorder is the persistent use of drugs despite substantial harm and adverse consequences to self and others; and

WHEREAS, Behavioral health is the term that recognizes the combination of mental illness and substance use disorder that often impacts an individual; and

WHEREAS, Mental illness is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States, affecting one out of every five adults; and

WHEREAS, Serious mental illness costs Americans approximately $193,200,000,000 in lost earnings per year; and

WHEREAS, Fifty percent of all lifetime mental illness begins by 14 years of age, and 75 percent by 24 years of age; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 20 percent of children and youth between 3 and 17 years of age, inclusive, in the United States, develop a mental, emotional, developmental, or substance use disorder each year; and

WHEREAS, In October 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Childrens Hospital Association came together to declare a national state of emergency in childrens mental health; and

WHEREAS, A report done by the Crisis Text Line of youth under 17 years of age that used the service showed that there was a 144-percent increase from 2010 with one in five adolescents 12 to 17 years of age, inclusive, that experienced a major depressive episode; and

WHEREAS, According to a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, suicide was the second leading cause of death in individuals 10 to 14 years of age, inclusive, and the third leading cause of death among individuals 15 to 24 years of age, inclusive, in 2021; and

WHEREAS, Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youth; and

WHEREAS, According to The Trevor Project, 50 percent of LGBTQ+ youth who wanted mental health treatment in 2024 were not able to get it; and

WHEREAS, Children under 18 years of age from racial and ethnic minority groups were greater than 4.5 times more likely to experience the grief of losing a loved one during the pandemic compared to their non-Hispanic White peers; and

WHEREAS, In California, there are nearly 45,000 children in the foster care system, and many youth still exit care without the support and guidance they need to successfully transition; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 70 percent of all youth in the juvenile justice system have at least one mental health condition, and at least 20 percent live with severe mental illness that is usually undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, untreated, or ineffectively treated, thus leaving those detained in the juvenile justice system in a vulnerable condition; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 60 percent of youth in juvenile facilities met criteria for substance use disorder in the year before entering custody; and

WHEREAS, Fifty-seven million Americans have a mental disorder in any given year, but fewer than 40 percent of adults living with a mental illness, and slightly more than one-half of youth 8 to 15 years of age, inclusive, with a mental illness, received mental health services in the last year; and

WHEREAS, The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has reported that many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time and that 45 percent of those with a mental disorder meet criteria for two or more disorders, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, and cancer, and the severity of the mental disorder strongly relates to comorbidity; and

WHEREAS, NIMH also reported that young adults 18 to 25 years of age, inclusive, had the highest prevalence of serious mental illness compared to older adults; and

WHEREAS, Adults and older adults living with mental illness or substance use disorders often experience additional barriers to care, including stigma, social isolation, underdiagnosis, and fragmented access to behavioral health services; and

WHEREAS, Behavioral health challenges among adultsparticularly those experiencing homelessness, unemployment, or chronic illnesscan lead to compounded health disparities and require comprehensive, integrated care; and

WHEREAS, According to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, less than one-third of older adults in need of mental health services receive appropriate care, contributing to increased rates of loneliness and social isolation; and

WHEREAS, According to the California Health Care Foundation, older adults are the least likely age group to report having mental health treatment; and

WHEREAS, The integration of behavioral health care, including mental health and substance use treatment, into primary care, housing, and aging services is critical to meeting the needs of Californias diverse and growing adult and older adult populations; and

WHEREAS, Older adults are at increased risk for cooccurring behavioral health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders due to life transitions, grief, cognitive decline, and chronic medical conditions; and

WHEREAS, Older adults with untreated behavioral health and substance use disorders are more likely to experience hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and early entry into long-term care; and

WHEREAS, Although mental illness impacts all people, many of those in lower income communities receive less care and poorer quality of care, and often lack access to culturally competent care, thereby resulting in mental health disparities; and

WHEREAS, Some see negative perceptions about mental health care as a significant factor contributing to limited or nonexistent access to care, and some common concerns are stigma, culture, masculinity, exposure to violence, and lack of information and awareness, among many others; and

WHEREAS, According to the California Reducing Disparities Project, being misdiagnosed and given severe mental health diagnoses can be stigmatizing and can affect a persons self-esteem, which, in turn, can discourage a person from seeking help; and

WHEREAS, According to results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 46,300,000 people 12 years of age or older had a substance use disorder in the past year, with the percentage of people being higher among American Indian or Alaska Native and multiracial people; and

WHEREAS, The burden of substance use disorder is particularly high among adults involved in the criminal justice system, veterans, individuals with cooccurring mental illness, and those experiencing housing instability; and

WHEREAS, There is a need to improve public awareness of mental illness and to strengthen local and national awareness of brain diseases, so that all those with mental illness may receive adequate and appropriate treatment that will result in their becoming fully functioning members of society; and

WHEREAS, There is a need to reduce the stigma around mental illness and substance use disorder, so that all those with a mental illness are encouraged to reach out to their community and seek treatment without fear of isolation and judgment; and

WHEREAS, There is a need to encourage primary care physicians to offer screenings, to partner with mental health care providers, to seek appropriate referrals to specialists, and to encourage timely and accurate diagnoses of mental disorders; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature wishes to enhance public awareness of mental illness; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby recognizes May 2026 as Behavioral Health Awareness Month in California to enhance public awareness of behavioral health needs across the lifespan; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

ACR 209: Behavioral Health Awareness Month.

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