President Biden Highlights Mental Health Care in the State of the Union

During the 2024 State of the Union address, President Biden made mention of mental health care. In his comments, the President unveiled elements of his administration’s strategy to address a mental health crisis of isolation and loneliness.

The President called on Congress to:

• Hold tech companies accountable for the mental health impacts of social media on children.
• Help cities and towns invest in more community police officers, mental health workers and community violence intervention.

President Biden informed the nation that his FY25 budget proposal will include increased funding for mental health services and research, with a focus on U.S. veterans, minorities and marginalized communities.

The President also asked Americans to seek help if they are struggling with mental health issues and addressed stigma and discrimination in mental health care that prevents people from getting the help they need. The White House seeks to end this stigma and discrimination within mental health care.

A Focus on Women’s Mental Health

In his address, the President also provided an update on the Women’s Health Initiative, led by First Lady Jill Biden, that launched on November 13, 2023. The initiative’s mission is to:

• Fundamentally change how America approaches and funds women’s health research and pioneer the next generation of discoveries in women’s health.
• Make a commitment to galvanizing the Federal government and the private and philanthropic sectors to spur innovation, unleash transformative investments aimed at closing research gaps, and improving women’s health.

This initiative is supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The initiative calls on stakeholders to work with the above agencies to help deliver concrete recommendations to advance women’s health, improve innovation in healthcare, and develop investments to support the overall health of women.

The American Counseling Association applauds the First Lady for leading this initiative. On behalf of our membership, we call on the Administration to continue its commitment by focusing heavily on the mental health care of women.

The White House is seeking stakeholders to share their comments and help move this agenda forward. Please complete the White House Interest Form to receive updates. To express your interest and provide the White House with your expertise you may email them at WomensHealthresearch@who.eop.gov. You must attach your comments as a PDF or Word document for them to be considered.