Multicultural Action Center Resources

As part of our commitment to provide educational resources for consumers and family members from diverse communities and the NAMI leaders reaching out to these communities, NAMI has developed materials to provide culturally relevant information about mental illness, treatment options, recovery and support. This page is the portal for viewing and downloading these materials as well as resources from our partners and other experts in the field. Contact us at MACenter@nami.org to request hard copies.

Community-specific information:

Linguistic Community Resources

Additional NAMI Information on Mental Health Care in Diverse Communities

• Cultural Competence Resources
• The Facts about Stigma and Mental Illness in Diverse Communities
• Multicultural Issues in Veterans Mental Health Fact Sheet
• Evidence-Based Practices and Multicultural Mental Health: A review of current literature discussing pertinent issues around the opportunities and challenges EBPs present for the achievement of quality mental health service delivery and access among diverse commuities.
• Overview of Multicultural Issues in Children's Mental Health: A summary of documented disparities in access and quality issues in children’s mental health for four racial- and ethnic-groups: African American, Asian American, Latino/Hispanic American, and American Indian/Alaska Native.

 Helpful Tools for NAMI State Organizations and Affiliates

• Basic Steps for Successful Multicultural Outreach
• NAMI Multicultural Outreach Planning Guide (manual)
• Guidelines for Translation of Materials
• Collecting Race and Ethnicity Data

Education Initiative Toolkits

In Living Color: Depression Treatment in Primary Care: Developed in partnership with the American Psychiatric Association, this three hour education course equips physicians practicing in primary care settings with the knowledge and tools to identify and provide appropriate treatment of depression to medically underserved ethnic and racial groups.

Sharing Hope: Understanding Mental Health: This do-it-yourself toolkit for outreach to African American congregations features a one hour presentation to increase understanding and awareness of mental health recovery among African American congregations. 

Research and Reports

• Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (2001): This landmark report of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services determines that people of color, both adults and children, are less likely than their white counterparts to receive needed mental health care. The four identified racial/ethnic communities of the report's focus are shown to face additional barriers such as poverty, lack of service and supports, pervasive stigma and prejudice, language barriers and lack of cultural competence in service delivery. 
• Cultural Psychiatry Reference List, generously provided by Dr. Francis Lu of University of California San Francisco.  A wonderful resource of research articles and books about health care for many racial and ethnic groups.
• Additional Web Sites and Links

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