Resource Center

There has been a lot of recent press regarding the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and its research vision. Dr. Thomas Insel, the director of NIMH has recently come out explaining that the NIMH will no longer utilize the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) when conducting further research. He clarified those remarks in a subsequent joint statement with the president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Jeffrey Lieberman.

When someone wishes me a Happy Mother’s Day they have no idea what it means to me; if you have an adult child with mental illness perhaps you can understand. Before I could have a happy Mother’s Day, I needed to recreate the mother I was and become the mother I needed to be.

I was in my early 30s with three small children that depended upon me, when I lost my well-paying job. I went on COBRA insurance, but it quickly ran out. I was paying cash for my therapist, psychiatrist and for my prescriptions. Then my money was completely gone. I was losing my home and my therapist told me that he could not ethically take my money anymore. I was devastated. I had nowhere to turn.

As you’ve probably been hearing, Congress is at an impasse in the debate over guns. They have retreated, for the moment, from the issues that divide them, including whether limits should be imposed on assault weapons, if the loophole should be closed that exempts individuals who purchase firearms at gun shows from background checks, and other divisive issues.

Director David O. Russell talks about the award-winning film and his personal connection with mental illness.

Recently my family experienced a miracle. Not the type of miracle that draws massive crowds or gets noted in history books, but a miraculous experience that  we never believed possible

StrengthofUs.org, NAMI’s online community for young adults, has a new look for the new spring season and they are celebrating the positive changes with a #ThinkPositive social media campaign. StrengthofUs.org is designed to inspire young adults impacted by mental health issues to think positive, stay strong and achieve their goals through peer support and resource sharing.

The remarkable thing about the NAMI Family Support Group is how relaxed it is. My sense of peace during the sessions probably stems from having attended only three sessions to date as a co-facilitator and, thus, from not having experienced the outbreak of raw emotion that likely occurs from time to time.

I attended the NAMI National Convention for the first time last year. When I first heard about the convention, I knew at once I had to go. Not only did I want to go, I needed to go. Just the idea of going made me excited. Now, having experienced the convention firsthand, I can say that it is a hundred times better than I could have ever imagined.