Who is NAMI-Tulsa?

We are parents, children, spouses, brothers and sisters, and friends of people with serious mental illness; as well as those persons themselves. We share one another's pain and we share one another's hope. We are working to build a better tomorrow for our loved ones and for ourselves.

Serious Mental Illness is a term used for a group of disorders causing severe disturbances in thinking, feeling and relating. These disorders result in substantially diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. Mental illness can affect persons of any age, children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. It can occur in any family. Several million people in this country suffer from a serious long-term mental illness.

Mental illness is not the same as mental retardation. The mentally retarded have a diminished intellectual capacity ordinarily present since birth. Those with mental illness are usually of normal intelligence although they may have difficulty performing at a normal level due to their illness.

People with serious mental illnesses occupy more hospital beds than persons suffering from cancer, lung and heart diseases combined. Many others struggle with their illness in non-hospital settings, alone, in group homes, in their parents' home, or on the streets. But those afflicted with mental illness are not the only ones to suffer. Their families often face tremendous challenges - economic, emotional and sometimes even social.

What We Do:

Support - Members help each other cope, and get through hard times. They share information and experiences with local services and professionals. A warm circle of friends offers support and hope.

Education - Long term mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and major and manic depression are biochemically caused brain diseases. They are not caused by a poor home environment. They are not the result of character flaws. Scientific research has demonstrated these truths. Public education lacks sadly behind. We are changing that, working through TV, radio and the press.

Advocacy - At all three levels National, State and Local, we give you a strong voice to help change services in your city and state for the better, and to effect changes in national laws that affect your family.

Research - Major depressive disorders are disrupting the lives of more than 10 million Americans. More than 100,000 new cases of schizophrenia are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. Most of these occur in young people aged 16 - 25. Yet less is being spent on schizophrenia research than is spent on research regarding diseases of the teeth and gums. NAMI is pressing for government funding and working toward privately funded research.