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Mr. Chairman, thank you for giving me the chance to speak to you today.
The American Psychological Association, APA, represents 150,000 members
and affiliates across the nation. Some of our members conduct research
funded by the NIH and CDC; some provide mental health services in
hospitals, schools and other community settings, and others teach or study
at our nation's colleges and universities.
I have three requests for the Subcommittee: first, to
increase the level of support for suicide prevention programs; second, to
ensure that NIH continues to fund both applied and basic behavioral
research; and third, to support the Graduate Psychology Education Program,
in the Bureau of Health Professions, that trains psychologists to work
with our nation's underserved populations. These investments produce
important contributions to the public health of our nation.
Mr. Chairman, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death
in the United States in 2000, accounting for more deaths than homicide or
HIV/AIDS. Since the 1950's, the rate of suicide among adolescents aged 15
to 19 has tripled. It is now the third leading cause of death for 15- to
24-year-olds and the fourth among youth aged 10-14. APA strongly urges
this subcommittee to increase the federal investment in suicide prevention
programs, particularly targeted for our nation's youth and the elderly.
Federally supported interventions to reduce the high
suicide rates among racial and ethnic minorities are critically needed.
American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents are more than twice as
likely to commit suicide as any other racial and ethnic group and three
times as likely to commit suicide as whites of similar age. Thirty percent
of Hispanic female high school students report seriously considering
suicide, the highest rate of any racial or ethnic group in the country.
Tragically, Mr. Chairman, older adults have the highest
rate of suicide of any age group, accounting for 20 percent of all
suicides.
We need expanded programs at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration. For CDC, we request an increase of $5 million over the FY
2004 appropriation of $2.7 million for suicide prevention activities. This
would support prevention research and demonstration projects to identify
promising and effective suicide prevention strategies. For SAMHSA/CMHS,
the President's Budget for FY 2005 includes about $3 million each for the
Suicide Hotline and the Suicide Resource Center, a combined total of
merely $36,000 over FY 2004. APA strongly urges the subcommittee to
provide additional funds urgently needed to support suicide prevention
programs. [back to top]
Turning to NIH, behavioral research is key if our nation
is to make additional progress on problems such as obesity, smoking, and
substance abuse. We can't rely only on medications to improve our nation's
health and quality of life, but also need to develop the knowledge to
enhance the individual's own ability and desire to make healthy choices.
Beyond increasing opportunities for clinical research on these health
problems, however, NIH must maintain a commitment to support basic
behavioral research. Basic research conducted by psychologists with NIH
support is the foundation for much of what we know about how the brain
affects behavior, how humans learn and develop, how the memory works, and
how the social environment affects behavior.
Although all basic research is foundational and not
disease-specific, it is necessary if we are to understand and make
progress against illnesses. For example, basic research in bio-behavioral,
cognitive, personality, emotional, and social processes that underlie
behavioral functioning are important areas of research that are applicable
to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders.
Understanding the impact of social relationships and environment,
temperament, self-esteem, executive functioning, and self-regulation,
particularly among children, is critical to furthering our understanding
of the basic psychological functions that become disturbed in mental
disorders. Identifying risk and protective factors for diverse populations
may increase our ability to prevent and treat mental disorders, and
improve the mental health of our
nation. For this reason, APA has been urging that NIMH not redirect the
funds it now invests in basic behavioral research. Similarly, APA has
joined with other scientific societies to urge that the National Institute
of General Medical Sciences, THE basic research institute at NIH, develop
a program in basic behavioral research. We are pleased that NIH Director
Zerhouni has asked for a review of basic behavioral research at NIH and
look forward to discussing those findings with the subcommittee when they
are developed this fall.
Last, I want to thank this subcommittee for its support of
an important program that trains psychologists to work with underserved
populations, such as older adults, children, the chronically ill, and
victims of trauma and abuse. The Graduate Psychology Education program, or
GPE, in the Bureau of Health Professions provides grants to accredited
programs for interdisciplinary training of psychology students to provide
mental and behavioral health services in rural and urban underserved
areas.
The GPE Program was funded at $4.5 million for both FY
2003 and FY 2004. Innovative programs are located in places as diverse as
an inner-city public charter school, the University of Texas Medical
Branch and Eastern Virginia Medical School. Without additional funds,
though, there will be no new competition for these three-year grants for
the next two fiscal years. Far too many areas in our country lack
psychological services. According to the President's New Freedom
Commission on Mental Health, in any given year, about 5 to 7 percent of
adults are diagnosed with a serious mental disorder, and 5 to 9 percent of
children suffer a serious emotional disturbance. Consequently, millions of
adults and children are disabled by mental illnesses every year. APA
requests $6.5 million for the Graduate Psychology Education Program for
FY05 to help psychologists reach more underserved Americans.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, for inviting me to testify.
On behalf of APA, I thank you all for your work as public servants and the
vital programs that your efforts bring to the American people. [back to top] |
