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Welcome to the Gwinnett County, Georgia affiliate for the National Alliance on Mental Illness - NAMI Gwinnett. NAMI is a grassroots family support group founded in 1970, currently including over 225,000 members. There are over 27 affiliates in Georgia, with the NAMI-Georgia state office located in Atlanta.

NAMI Gwinnett is a family based support and advocacy organization. We offer educational and mutual support programs for those affected by mental illness, including family members, friends, and consumers. We are involved on the local level in legislative and community affairs to improve the lives of those coping with these disorders.

Following the NAMI National guidelines, we have three major goals:

Support: The diagnosis of a mental illness is life-altering for the person with the disorder and their loved ones. The difficulties faced in such a time should not be dealt with alone. At a NAMI Gwinnett meeting, you will find others who have faced similar challenges. NAMI members, through personal sharing and empathy, either face to face or by phone, can offer encouragement, information, and most importantly, hope. Our members know that burdens are lighter when they are shared.

Education: Education is the key to eliminating common misconceptions about mental illness. At our meetings there are discussions that cover a broad range of topics dealing with mental illness. We provide excellent and free opportunities to gain coping skills through our educational programs. We have an outreach presentation that can be given to various civic groups aimed at eradicating the false ideas and information, known as stigma, within the community.

Advocacy: We support community based programs that assist people with mental illness in returning to productive citizenship.

• We work for procedures that provide hospitalization when it is needed.

• We encourage legislation that supports the needs of the entire mental health service delivery system.

• We strongly urge medical treatment as an alternative to incarceration for those with mental illness who have committed minor violations.

We advocate for changes that will improve the quality of life for our loved ones and as consumers ourselves, including dispelling stigma and promoting mental illness as a treatable physical disorder, as equal to any other physical disorder (Click on Advocacy tab for current projects).

Alan McDaniel, President NAMI Gwinnett

alan.mcdaniel@namigwinnett.org

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