The National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI], founded in 1979, is the nation's largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons and their families living with serious mental illness. NAMI has organizations in every state and in over 1100 local communities across the country who join together to meet the NAMI mission through advocacy, research, support and education. Another grassroots organization, Mental Health America [MHA], formerly the National Mental Health Association, established in 1909 by a former pschiatric patient, Clifford W. Beers, in reaction to the abuse which he experienced and witnessed in stays in private and public institutions started a reform movement that took shape as Mental Health America which is dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives. MHA has over 320 affiliates nationwide and works to improve the mental health of all Americans, especially the 54 million individuals with mental disorders, through advocacy, education, reserch and service. Obviously, there is some overlap in purpose, but today NAMI is more focused on the seriosly mentally ill and is specifically dedicated to the eradication of mental illnesses and to the improvement of the quality of life of all whose lives are affected by these diseases.
In an earlier article on the current mental health crisis in New Orleans, I discussed NAMI's "A Report on America's Heath Care System for Serious Mental Illness - Grading the States 2006". This report, a gigantic undertaking, is the first comprehensive state by state analysis of mental health care systems in 15 years. It scores every state on 39 specific criteria which result in an overall grade and grades in four sub-categories for each state. The national average grade is D. Five states received grades in the B range, eight received Fs and none received a grade in the A range. In the sub-categories the national grades are 1] infrastructure - D; 2] Information access - D; 3] services - D+; 4] recovery supports - C-. State by State the grades were: Alabama - D; Alaska - D; Arizona - D+; Arkansas - D-; California - C; Colorado - U*; Connecticut - B; Delaware - C-; District of Columbia - C; Florida - C-; Georgia - D; Hawaii - C; Idaho - F; Illinois - F; Indiana - D-; Iowa - F; Kansas - F; Kentucky - F; Louisiana - D-; Maine - B-; Maryland - C+; Massachusetts - C-; Michigan - C+; Minnesota - C+; Mississippi - D; Missouri - C-; Montana - F; Nebraska - D; Nevada - D-; New Hampshire - D; New Jersey - C; New Mexico - C-; New York - U*; North Carolina - D+; North Dakota - F; Ohio - B; Oklahoma - D; Oregon - C+; Pennsylvania - D+; Rhode Island - C; South Carolina - B-; South Dakota - F; Tennessee - C-; Texas - C; Utah - D; Vermont - C-; Virginia - D; Washington - D; West Virginia- D; Wisconsin - B-; Wyoming - D. * A gradeof U indicates that the state was unresponsive. The grade distribution was A-0, B-5, C-17, D-19, F- 8 and U*-2.
NAMI has many other reports, activities and programs. Among them are "The Campaign for the Mind of America" which is a multi-year effort on many fronts to promote investment in recovery and prevent the abandonment of yet another generation of Americans with mental illnesses to neglect and hopelessness. It highlights the need for a comprehensive system to screen, evaluate, diagnose and treat mental illnesses at every stage of life. This Campaign has nine National Partners ranging from the American College of Emergency Physicians to The Society for Adolescent Medicine. There are 12 states involved in this Campaign. NAMI also has several formal programs including: for consumers; Peer-to-Peer, NAMI C.A.R.E. Mutual Support Program, Hearts & Minds, In Our Own Voice, For Families and Caregivers; Family-to-Family, Hearts & Minds, For the General Public; In our own Voice, For Providers;Provider Education.
What does NAMI do? NAMI members, leaders and friends work across all levels to meet a shared mission of support, education, research and advocacy for people living with mental illness through various activities, including: Public Education and Information Activities; Family and Consumer Peer Education and Support Activities; Advocacy on Behalf of People Living with Mental lllness and for the Health of our Communities; and Visible Public Events that Raise Funds and Awareness while Engaging the Public.
I first became aware of NAMI in the 1980s when Shirley Starr, one of the founders of NAMI, arrived at my office in Springfield, Illinois and proceeded to educate me about the plight of the families of the seriosly mentally ill, including schizophrenic, bi-polar and seriously depressed. It's hard to believe how far NAMI has come in only 20 years and how much more still needs to be done. Thank you Shirley, for all that you've done. .
Born-03/20/1934, BA Pol. Sci.-U of Washington-1956, MBA-Seattle U-1970, Boeing-Program Control-1957-1971, State of Oregon-Mental Health Division-Deputy Admistrator-1971-1979, llinois Association of Community MH Agencies[IACHMA]-Executive Director-1980-1987, District of Columbia Government-MH Division-Chief MH System Development-1987-1989, Illinois Real Estate-Associate Broker-1989-1995, Ohio-Retired-1995-1999, Florida-Retired- 1999-? Operate an eBay book store, Ajax Books Etcetera, which currently [12/17/06] has approx. 435 items for sale, mostly mystery books . Ajax Books Etcetera can be found by searching Google, Yahoo search and some other search engines.
He has now found his true love;writing and consequently has joined the National Writers Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. Member Northwest Progressive Institute. Member Florida Progressive Coalition.
NAMI Funding by Psychiatric/Pharmaceutical Industry
The sad truth about NAMI is that it only operates as a front group for the psychiatric/pharmaceutical industry. The APA's real purpose is to promote the labelling and psychotropic drugging of every man, woman & child in the nation. The purpose of the pharmaceutical industry is to obtain all the money that can be gathered from such labelling and drugging. This industry has managed to render the FDA into a toothless dog that no longer is able to competently protect the American public from the harmful effects of being forced to take psychotropic drugs for life.
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larrybone (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 8 comments)
on Thursday, February 1, 2007 at 12:02:49 PM
I've gone back and read the articles you've commented on, as well as your comments, and can see no evidence that NAMI is funded by the Psychiatric/Pharmaceutical industry. I've been an administrator in the mental health field for a good number of years and have never been made aware that NAMI either does or believes in forcing drugs on anyone. I have, however, been aware that teachers recommend drugs to control behavior of their students when I believe it's unnecessary and an easy way out for them. This is not new and has been going on for many years, long before NAMI came into being. Are you sure you're not just looking for a scspgoat?
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Kenneth Briggs (132 articles, 88 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 112 comments)
on Thursday, February 1, 2007 at 4:17:08 PM
According to documents obtained by Mother Jones magazine, "...18 drug firms gave NAMI a total of $11.72 million between 1996 and mid-1999. These include Janssen ($2.08 million), Novartis ($1.87 million), Pfizer ($1.3 million)...and Eli Lilly and Company, which gave $2.87 million during that period."
NAMI's website reveals that they nearly exclusively present psychiatric drugs as the solution to so-called mental disorders. The section "Specific medications" even has information for several of the drugs that the FDA ordered in October 2004 must carry a "black box" warning-the FDA's strongest-about suicidal side effects.
NAMI'S membership includes 1,100 members of the American Psychiatric Association, who have the same agenda - fraudulent psychiatric diagnoses followed by the use of dangerous, addictive and mind-altering drugs.
Forced labelling and drugging of school children is done through Teen Screen which has an 85% false positive rate. Once the label goes on the psychiatrist can prescribe the drugs. Proof is everywhere on the internet from various reputable sources. I'm very surprised you have seem to not at all be aware of them. I'm not looking for a scapegoat, I am looking for a cause and all we ever hear is denial, denial, denial.
You can check the Parents Against Teen Screen website and you can check Evelyn Pringle's articles on Teen Screen. Teen Screen and NAMI are in heavy denial which is to be expected. I think you should research this issue more yourself rather than take everything NAMI says for granted.
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larrybone (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 8 comments)
on Thursday, February 1, 2007 at 4:58:53 PM
Former Pharmaceutical Rep details what NAMI really promotes!
What NAMI is actually promoting is increased use of multiple dangerous psychotropic drugs for practically anything. Because that is the only "cure" it is all they ever promote. A former pharmaceutical rep in the industry for 15 years details how both the FDA and doctors' decision-making authority has been thoroughly compromised. Paste the following links into your browser to get an eye-opening look at what NAMI hopes you will never find out!
You should know from my bio that I had ample opportunity to observe treatment at the state hospitals in Oregon and at St. Elizabeth hospital in Washington D.C. My office in Oregon was at Oregon State Hospital and my office in D.C. was at St. Elizabeth. I observed that the drugs you accuse NAMI of pushing were indeed valuable in the treatment of many with serious mental illnesses and allowed many who would otherwise remain hospitalized to live productive lives in community settings.I was widely known as an advocate for community treatment but I was realistic enough to know that drugs were what made it possible for patients to be treated in the community. Also, I prefer to have the seriously mentally ill treated with drugs rather than with Insulin Shock Therapy, Electrical Shock Therapy, Lobotomy, and kept confined in shackels and chains. Believe me many institutions used these methods until the drugs made them obsolete. Also, believe me when I say that it wasn't until the 1970s that these barbaric treatment methods finally began to give way. Most people don't realize, and you must be one of them, what a Godsend these drugs have been.
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Kenneth Briggs (132 articles, 88 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 112 comments)
on Friday, February 2, 2007 at 6:17:59 PM
I have observed people marching for mental health parity in Washington who have been repeatedly forced to take multiple psychotropic drugs. It is pitiful. Anyone can see that they are totally broken in both body and spirit. People who are 32 years old or younger and look like 60 and about to die. A former pharmaceutical rep has revealed that she has suffered brain damage from being on Zoloft and Prozac. So she obviously doesn't think psychotropic drugs are sent from God. Each time mental patients go to a mental hospital for multiple psychotropic drugs their mental and physical function is reduced again and again and again until they are dead. If you were really able to look at how these drugs actually affect people, you would instantly realize that these drugs could never be from God!
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larrybone (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 8 comments)
on Thursday, February 8, 2007 at 9:01:01 AM
As I stated in my last reply to you, I believe drug treatment is much preferable to the alternatives. And, I do know from personal observation that drug treatment works.
by
Kenneth Briggs (132 articles, 88 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 112 comments)
on Thursday, February 8, 2007 at 9:23:49 AM
7 comments
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