Improving Services to Inmates with Mental Illness

NAMI Tri-Cities donates $5,500 to Benton County Mental Health Court

May is mental health month. The National Alliance of Mental Illness Tri-Cities kicked off the month by celebrating the major impact advocate Norm Miller had on the community.

Miller, a former NAMI board member, worked hard to bring better opportunities for those with mental illness.

Today in his memory, NAMI Tri-Cities donated $5,500 to the Benton County Mental Health Court.

“We just really appreciate Norm Miller, his widow, the whole community, the commissioners and everyone getting behind this and moving it forward for Read More

Your Story: A Powerful Advocacy Tool

Legislators who make important decisions receive much of their information about mental illness the same way the general public does: through the media. While members of Congress also have staffers to study the issues, they rely on constituents for information. That means you. The best way to inform the legislators and give them an accurate picture of the reality of mental illness is to share with them the stories of those whom have had personal experiences with mental illness.

Why is it Read More

‘Bleak Picture’ for Mentally Ill: 80% Are Jobless

Eighty percent of people with mental illness are unemployed, a statistic that says more about the lack of support for this group of people than it does about the economy, according to a new study.

As in so many other areas of mental health, solutions to this problem exist, but simply aren’t utilized, says Mary Giliberti, executive director of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

“These statistics paint a pretty bleak picture,” she says. “We think we can do a lot Read More

New Funds Jump-start Mental Illness Research

What will happen in the field of serious mental illness when human need, scientific progress and a major influx of funding converge? Scientists on Tuesday predicted that the world could see the same kind of progress in understanding schizophrenia and bipolar disorder that’s been seen in the last decade in the fight against cancer.

That, in turn, could lead to better treatments, earlier diagnosis and more opportunities to head off the emergence of full-blown psychological illness in those at greatest risk.

Such Read More

Understanding New Rules That Widen Mental Health Coverage

Long-awaited improvements in insurance coverage for mental conditions and addictions are expected to become more widely available this year as a result of two major steps that the Obama administration has taken.

The president’s signature Affordable Care Act includes mental health care and substance abuse treatment among its Read More