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NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill)


Self Description

June 2005: "NAMI is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support and advocacy organization of consumers, families, and friends of people with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic and other severe anxiety disorders, autism and pervasive developmental disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other severe and persistent mental illnesses that affect the brain.

Founded in 1979 as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, NAMI today works to achieve equitable services and treatment for more than 15 million Americans living with severe mental illnesses and their families . Hundreds of thousands of volunteers participate in more than one thousand local affiliates and fifty state organizations to provide education and support, combat stigma, support increased funding for research, and advocate for adequate health insurance, housing, rehabilitation, and jobs for people with mental illnesses and their families.

Local affiliates and state organizations identify and work on issues most important to their community and state..."

http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=About_NAMI

Third-Party Descriptions

June 2007: 'We don't need any more commissions or task forces. We know what to do,' said Michael J. Fitzpatrick, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, based in Arlington. 'The president's task force report is a disappointment. It repeats much of what we have known for years. It talks about encouraging people to get help when they need it -- when the real problem is that help often is not available.'

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/13/AR2007061301032.html

June 2005: "But the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), an advocacy group based in Arlington, Va., opposes any constraints on psychiatric drugs, calling it "a dangerous proposition." People who are schizophrenic, bi-polar or depressed need access to drugs with minimal interference, the group argues."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2002350120_drugmonitor28m.html

Relationships

RoleNameTypeLast Updated
Status/Name Change to NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) Organization Jun 18, 2007
Organization Head/Leader (past or present) Laurie Flynn Person Jun 27, 2006

Articles and Resources

Date Fairness.com Resource Read it at:
Jun 14, 2007 Confusion Over Laws Impedes Aid For Mentally Ill: U.S. Panel Reports on Va. Tech; House Passes Gun-Control Bill

QUOTE: Because school administrators, doctors and police officials rarely share information about students and others who have mental illnesses, troubled people don't get the counseling they need, and authorities are often unable to prevent them from buying handguns, the report says.

 Washington Post
May 29, 2006 Rules Separate Mentally Ill From Treatment: With 'Imminent Danger' Requirement and Scant Resources Keeping Help Out of Reach, Some Become Violent

QUOTE: Where once getting treatment for mental illness was almost too easy, causing psychiatric centers to become dumping grounds for the healthy and the sick, some experts said the pendulum has swung too far the other way, with most states requiring proof of a person's "imminent danger" to themselves or others before giving them treatment.

 Washington Post
Nov 30, 2005 Drugmakers Win Exemption in House Budget-Cutting Bill

QUOTE: The provision -- inserted by Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), whose district flanks Lilly's Indianapolis headquarters -- would largely exempt antipsychotic and antidepressant medications from a larger measure designed to steer Medicaid patients to the least expensive treatment options.

 Washington Post
Jun 28, 2005 State to watch Medicaid drug use

QUOTE: State Medicaid officials this summer will place a cap on the amounts and types of prescription narcotics and antidepressants that patients can receive...the proposed restrictions on antidepressants are drawing concerns from some physicians and mental-health advocates, who fear that psychiatric patients may face delays in getting their medication or may not get it at all.

 Seattle Times