Issues / Advocacy
Full Story
| Topics: advocacy, consumers, Medicaid, Medicare, policy, recovery
Action oriented groups.
- Campaign for Mental Health Reform
An association coordinating advocacy around the federal government's policy affecting mental health services and treatment. Members are other mental health organizations. - Equity Campaign
A site hosted by Mental Health America dedicated to ensuring equity in insurance coverage for people with mental illness. - Families USA
A consumer advocacy organization with emphasis on insurance coverage, prescription drugs, Medicaid and Medicare, children and the uninsured. They also award fellowships for advocates working in areas of social justice and health care justice. - Family to Family Training Program
A 12-week training program offered by NAMI through state affiliates. The course is open to relatives and professionals working with mentally ill patients and is currently being evaluated with the help of an NIMH grant. - Mental Health America
In 2006, the National Mental Health Association changed its name to Mental Health America. It is the nation's oldest and largest advocacy organization dedicated to all aspects of mental health and mental illness. It parnters with 320 state and local affiliates nationwide, to improve policies, understanding, and services for individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders, and is dedicated to bringing wellness home. - Mental Health Liaison Group
A coalition of organizations representing consumer, advocate and professional groups advocating at the federal level for issues relevant to mental health. They produce an annual budget. - MindFreedom International
A West Coast human rights organization founded by people who "have personally experienced mental health system abuse." They have an email alert system and recently became a household name when one of their members, attorney Jim Gottstein, released documents to the press disclosing that Eli Lilly had not reported its knowledge that Zyprexa caused excessive weight gain. - National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations (NCMHCSO)
This is a relatively young organization, founded in September 2006, dedicated to guaranteeing that consumer voices and recovery principles are integral to mental health policy. - National Empowerment Center
A consumer organization dedicated to publicizing strategies for and promoting measures to enhance recovery. They have numerous programs, services and a speakers bureau. - National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse
Located in Philadelphia, the nation's first consumer advocacy organization promoting peer-driven services. They are a hub of networking, and also have a director of consumer driven services. - National Stigma Clearinghouse
This was the first group to raise consciousness when public figures, or media and entertainment outlets conveyed gratuitous, hurtful and stigmatizing remarks about people with mental illnesses. It posts less regularly than it once did, but the archival material remains valuable. - SAMHSA's Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma (ADS Center)
The federal government's "resource center to address discrimination and stigma." They provide training, information, publications and are available by mail or phone. At the end of 2006 they launched a nationwide advertising and media campaign aimed at youth to mitigate stigma around mental illness.
