Sec. 2. Findings

316 words·~1 min read·/bill/113/hr/4170/ih/section-2

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Congress finds the following: More than 100 million Americans currently have some sort of brain-related condition. Millions of Americans, many of whom are currently school children, have some sort of developmental delay, autism, or learning disability. Moreover, many Americans suffer from some form of psychotic disorder, including schizophrenia and affective psychotic disorders. These brain disorders usually result in significant life-long disability, and psychotic disorders in particular, despite advances in treatment, rank among the top causes of disability worldwide.

Neuroscience research has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life for people facing brain disease and injury, and to significantly improve our understanding of learning. Because of the impact on the health and economy of the country, the Federal Government has taken a special interest in promoting neuroscience and mental health research. Several Federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Veterans Administration, and Department of Defense oversee research on the brain and nervous system.

In December 2011, Congress directed the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish an Interagency Working Group on Neuroscience (IWGN). The IWGN is currently convening representatives across the Federal Government to make recommendations about the future of neuroscience research. Given the findings about the role of mental illness in multiple shootings across the Nation, including Newton, Connecticut, Aurora, Colorado, and other communities experiencing similar tragedies, the Federal Government has an interest in pursuing research on the early detection, intervention, and prevention of psychosis.

In line with this, the Federal Government is looking for new ways of increasing the Nation’s knowledge of the underlying causes of psychosis. The United States commitment to furthering the early detection of mental illness in youth was seen in its participation in two public/private research programs that studied the earliest stages of psychotic illness, namely— the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study (NAPLS); and the Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) initiative.