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Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§285p Purpose of Institute

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 6A— - PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES › Part Part C— - Specific Provisions Respecting National Research Institutes › Subpart subpart 16— - national institute of mental health › § 285p

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Requires the National Institute of Mental Health to run and fund medical and behavioral research, health services studies, training, and public information about the causes, diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of mental illness. The work must include biomedical and behavioral neuroscience and study treatment, prevention, mental health promotion, and how psychological, social, and legal factors affect behavior. The Institute director must work with the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to focus services research and share results with health professionals and the public. The director must create and publish information on suicide causes and prevention and make it widely available, with special focus on people under 24 years old. The director must also appoint an Associate Director for Special Populations to lead research and programs on the mental health needs of women and minority groups, study and help end discrimination, and make training, services, and research pay more attention to these groups.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §285p

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The general purpose of the National Institute of Mental Health (hereafter in this subpart referred to as the “Institute”) is the conduct and support of biomedical and behavioral research, health services research, research training, and health information dissemination with respect to the cause, diagnosis, treatment, control and prevention of mental illness.
(b)The research program established under this subpart shall include support for biomedical and behavioral neuroscience and shall be designed to further the treatment and prevention of mental illness, the promotion of mental health, and the study of the psychological, social and legal factors that influence behavior.
(c)The Director of the Institute shall collaborate with the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in focusing the services research activities of the Institute and in disseminating the results of such research to health professionals and the general public.
(d)(1)The Director of the Institute shall—
(A)develop and publish information with respect to the causes of suicide and the means of preventing suicide; and
(B)make such information generally available to the public and to health professionals.
(2)Information described in paragraph (1) shall especially relate to suicide among individuals under 24 years of age.
(e)(1)The Director of the Institute shall designate an Associate Director for Special Populations.
(2)The Associate Director for Special Populations shall—
(A)develop and coordinate research policies and programs to assure increased emphasis on the mental health needs of women and minority populations;
(B)support programs of basic and applied social and behavioral research on the mental health problems of women and minority populations;
(C)study the effects of discrimination on institutions and individuals, including majority institutions and individuals;
(D)support and develop research designed to eliminate institutional discrimination; and
(E)provide increased emphasis on the concerns of women and minority populations in training programs, service delivery programs, and research endeavors of the Institute.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2007—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 109–482 struck out subsec. (f) which authorized appropriations and provided that at least 15% of the appropriated amounts were to carry out health services research relating to mental health. 1992—Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 102–352 struck out “other than section 285o–4 of this title” after “this subpart”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2007 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 109–482 applicable only with respect to amounts appropriated for fiscal year 2007 or subsequent fiscal years, see section 109 of Pub. L. 109–482, set out as a note under section 281 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1992 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 102–352 effective immediately upon effectuation of amendment made by Pub. L. 102–321, see section 3(1) of Pub. L. 102–352, set out as a note under section 285n of this title.

Effective Date

Section effective Oct. 1, 1992, with provision for programs providing financial assistance, see section 801(c), (d) of Pub. L. 102–321, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1992 Amendment note under section 236 of this title. Study of Barriers to Insurance Coverage of Treatment for Mental Illness and Substance Abuse section 704 of Pub. L. 102–321 directed Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and in consultation with Administrator of Health Care Financing Administration, to conduct a study of the barriers to insurance coverage for the treatment of mental illness and substance abuse and to submit a report to Congress on the results of such study not later than Oct. 1, 1993.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 285p

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73