Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 69.djvu/423

 69 S T A T. ]

PUBLIC LAW 182--JULY 28, 1955

381

by or on behalf of an insured during his lifetime, for waiver of premiums on account of total disability, the court, as part of its judgment or decree, shall determine and allow a reasonable fee to be paid by the insured to his attorney." Approved July 26, 1955. Public Law 182

CHAPTER 417 JOINT RESOLUTION

Providing for an objective, thorough, and nationwide analysis and reevaluation of the human and economic problems of mental illness, and for other purposes.

July 28^ 19SS [H. J. Res. 256]

Whereas some seven hundred and fifty thousand mentally ill and study'AcVof^f^s^ retarded patients are now being hospitalized on any given day; and Whereas 47 per centum of the hospital beds in the Nation are occupied by mental patients; and Whereas the direct economic cost of mental illness to the taxpayers of the Nation, including pensions to veterans with psychiatric disabilities, is over $1,000,000,000 a year and has been increasing at a rate of $100,000,000 a >^ear; and Whereas the emotional impact and distress suffered by millions of our people anxiously and justifiably concerned about the welfare, treatment, and prospects of mentally afflicted relatives is incalculable and is one of the most urgent concerns of our people; and Whereas the Governors of the several States, through national and regional Governors Conferences and through the publications of the Council of State Governments, have shown great initiative in their cooperative attempts to develop better methods of meeting the challenge of mental illness in their States; and Whereas there is strong justification for believing that this constantly growing burden may well be due primarily to an outmoded reliance on simple custodial care in mental hospitals as the chief method of dealing with mental illness; and Whereas there is strong reason to believe that lack of early intensive treatment facilities has created such a backlog of mentally deteriorated patients that it has become virtually impossible for the States to meet the need for mental hospital facilities; and Whereas there is strong reason to believe that one of the greatest impediments to more rapid progress in the field of mental health is a definite shortage of professional personnel in all categories; and Whereas there seems to be a discouraging lag between the discovery of new knowledge and skills in treating mental illness and their widespread application, as is evidenced by the fact that whereas only about one-third of newiy admitted mental patients are discharged from State hospitals in the course of a year, in a few outstanding institutions the recovery rate is 75 per centum or more; and Whereas experience with certain community out-patient clinics and rehabilitation centers would seem to indicate that many mental patients could be better treated on an out-patient basis at much lower cost than by a hospital; and Whereas there is strong reason to believe that a substantial proportion of public mental hospital facilities are being utilized for the care of elderly persons who could be better cared for and receive better treatment in modified facilities at lower cost; and Whereas there is reason to believe that many emotionally disturbed children are being placed in mental hospitals, which have no proper facilities to administer to their needs; and

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