BATON ROUGE - Nearly 22% of adults in Louisiana experience a mental illness each year, Louisiana Department of Health data shows.

Several bills intending to address mental health in the state are making their way through the legislature this session.

House Concurrent Resolution 90 officially names this month as Mental Health Awareness Month in Louisiana.

Senate Bill 43 by Sen. Patrick McMath would create a psychedelic-assisted therapy initiative within the Department of Health's Office of Behavioral Health. The initiative would support clinical studies, drug development and clinical trials for psychedelic medications such as ibogaine and psilocybin-based medications. 

Senate Bill 5 by Sen. Bob Hensgens focuses on regulating mental health chatbots that use artificial intelligence technology. The bill sets standards for safety, transparency, and accountability. If passed, platforms using chatbots must disclose to users that the technology is AI and have protocols in place to address possible self-harm ideation expressed by users.

House Bill 395 by Rep. C. Denise Marcelle addresses mental health in schools. If passed, the bill would require the state Department of Education to create a program to "recruit, hire, and retain mental health professionals" in public elementary and secondary schools.

This includes counselors, social workers, school psychologists, and others. The proposed law requires the department to meet or exceed a ratio of at least one mental health professional per 250 students across all public schools in the state.