HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

194

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

urging the university of hawaii department of psychiatry to expand its research and education on depression diagnosis and management.

 

 

WHEREAS, Americans are living longer and enjoying better physical health in their retirement years; and

WHEREAS, depression is a serious illness affecting approximately 15 of every 100 adults over the age of 65 in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the mental well-being of senior citizens threatens to become a national crisis in the coming years as America's elderly population will grow substantially as the baby-boomer generation enters retirement; and

WHEREAS, the growth in the proportion of older adults and the prevalence of mental illness is expected to have a major direct and indirect impact on health service use and costs; and

WHEREAS, it is more economical to treat mental illnesses among the elderly when the conditions are detected and diagnosed early on, rather than recognizing the condition after it has been ignored and has become severe; and

WHEREAS, more public resources will need to be invested in research, specifically on mental illnesses among older citizens, to keep pace with the aging population; and

WHEREAS, more funds are essential for training additional healthcare professionals with expertise in geriatric mental health and the care of older persons with mental illnesses; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the Senate concurring, that this body urges the University of Hawaii (UH) Department of Psychiatry to expand its research and education on depression diagnosis and management; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the UH Department of Psychiatry is urged to work in collaboration with the UH School of Nursing and the UH Center on Aging to increase its effort to train the many mental healthcare providers that the future will demand; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the UH Department of Psychiatry is urged to:

(1) Pursue funds for research and partnerships with the National Institute of Aging and National Institute of Mental Health;

(2) Increase the number of state-based demonstration projects;

(3) Identify and provide financial incentives for individuals to choose training in geriatric mental health;

(4) Ensure that family caregiver research is included in the diagnosis and treatment of depression in family caregivers; and

(5) Establish a cross-institute working group to develop mechanisms to foster research on aging across disciplines;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chair of the University of Hawaii Department of Psychiatry, Dean of the University of Hawaii School of Nursing, and Director of the University of Hawaii Center on Aging.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

UH; Depression