NAMI | Contact Your Representatives

Contact the Director of NIMH about the Need for Increased Funding for Research of Severe Mental Illnesses

Your action is needed to advocate for increased government funding for severe mental illnesses research. Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of NIMH, is working to have the institute’s work reflect the best scientific opportunities to improve treatments for these brain disorders. Please take this opportunity to notify him of NAMI’s Research Task Force report—Roadmap to Recovery and Cure—and support his efforts to increase NIMH funding of research that will more quickly lead to improved treatments and cures for severe mental illnesses. Below is a sample letter for you to send to Dr. Insel on this issue. Thank you for your dedication to this important issue, and remember, the addition of a personal touch as to why research for mental illnesses is important to you can make this letter even more powerful!

To send this letter:

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Using your normal means for sending an email, compose a new message to Dr. Thomas Insel, tinsel@mail.nih.gov. Paste the text you just copied into the body of your email.

Send the message.

Dear Dr. Insel,

As a person deeply concerned about the toll of severe mental illnesses, I am writing to thank you for your leadership at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and your desire to significantly advance treatments for people with severe mental illnesses. However, as you know, the current state of research and treatments for serious brain disorders is not sufficient to address the needs of millions of Americans struggling with these illnesses everyday.

A report released by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill--NAMI--documents the extraordinary scientific opportunities that exist to significantly advance treatment for serious mental disorders; it also shows how such improved treatments are critical for individuals suffering from these disorders as well as for our nation overall. This report and its recommendations are complimentary to your efforts to prioritize research at NIMH with the goal of rapidly improving the understanding and treatment of severe mental illnesses, especially in the fields of basic, clinical, and health services research. Expanding clinical research of these illnesses is a crucial step towards discovering answers to important public health questions and will provide significant leverage in improving the mental health treatment system.

I look forward to hearing of NIMH's progress in prioritizing investments in serious mental illness research to advance the treatment, and ultimately the discovery of cures, for severe brain disorders. Thank you for working on this important public health issue to improve the lives of millions of Americans touched by serious mental illnesses.

Sincerely,