Why We're  Here             Who We Are           What We  Do

Why We're Here: The Need

An estimated 2.8% of the population is affected by serious brain  disorders (often called mental illness). That means that 308,600 Ohioans suffer from these illnesses.  In any given year 3.2% of children and adolescents between the ages of 9 and 17 are  diagnosed with a serious brain disorder.

Severe and persistent mental illnesses are neuro-biological brain disorders and they are treatable.  The treatment success rate for panic disorders is 80%; major depression, 65%; schizophrenia, 60%; and obsessive compulsive disorder, 60%

One in every four families is affected by a serious brain disorder.  They are doctors, lawyers, grocers, civic leaders, co-workers, neighbors and friends, and the person driving by in the next car.  Due to discriminatory insurance practices, however, many families exhaust all of their resources to get care for their loved ones. 40  to 65% of adults with severe brain disorders either reside with  their families or receive primary care-management from their families.

 People with mental illness enrich our lives:

Abraham  Lincoln, Virginia Wolff, Ludwig von Beethoven, Ernest Hemingway,  Winston Churchill, Leo Tolstoy, Sir Isaac Newton, Patty Duke,  Charles Dickens, Lionel Aldridge, Eugene O'Neill, Gaetano Donizetti, Robert Schumann, Vivien Leigh, Vaslov Nijinsky, Sylvia Plath, John Keats, Tennessee Williams, Michelangelo, Emperor Norton,...

 These talented, even gifted, individuals all  experienced one of the major mental illnesses: schizophrenia, manic-depression and/or major depression.

Who We Are: Our Organization

NAMI Ohio  (the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio) was created in 1982 by a  small group of family members to provide mutual  support, education, and advocacy for individuals and families affected by serious brain disorders. We now include family members, mental health consumers, providers, community mental health boards,  mental health organizations and other supporters among our growing  membership.

As a successful grassroots organization advocating for mental health  issues, NAMI Ohio has a winning history of affecting public  policy and legislation regarding care and resources for persons with serious mental illness. NAMI Ohio members testify before the state  legislature, educate business and education leaders, and sit on state planning and advisory committees,county ADAMH/CMHRS Boards, and  various task forces.  NAMI  Ohio insures that individuals with mental  illnesses and their families are represented in places where  decisions are made.

NAMI Ohio's nearly 60 local  affiliatesplay an  active role providing support, education, and advocacy on a local  level. They operate support groups to let people know they are not  alone and to be there with information and support when needed, appear on local television and radio shows, and speak publicly to  educate others about brain disorders. They provide  Family to  Family education courses. They advocate for effective and timely  services from their local service providers, and they offer hope to  those suffering from the effects of mental illness and their  families. Some NAMI Ohio affiliates help provide housing and mobile crisis teams.

NAMI Ohio Staff and Board Membersare  dedicated people committed to providing advocacy, education, assistance and service to our local, state, and national community.

NAMI Ohio's quarterly newsletter,News Briefs, is an  essential tool for members seeking the latest information about brain disorders, new treatment options, research, political and  legislative news, organizational and community activities, and advocacy strategies and activities.

Each year  NAMI Ohio conferences and speakers increase awareness and knowledge of mental illness in our  communities. These conferences also allow members across the state  to learn from each other and from specialists, develop pride and  comradeship in knowing we are not alone, and unite for advocacy actions.

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What We Do: Our Programs and Services

Helpline and Referral Information. 1-800-646-2646 NAMI Ohio's toll-free (in Ohio) hotline number offers  information about local support groups and services, brain  disorders, public and private provider systems, legislation, and a bibliography of vital information.

Family to Family Education Program This  12-class education course, taught by trained family members,  provides in-depth basic education and skill training free for families and friends who cope with the daily issues involved when a  loved one has a brain disorder. For many families this is where they find out for the first time that they are not alone, that there is information available, and that they can learn to better supportrecovery for their loved one.

Provider Education Program NAMI Ohio has trained teams consisting of a family member/professional, a family member and a consumer to take this special version of Family to Family to hospital and agency staff.

Story Bank tells the true stories of the often tragic difficulties families face due to current discrimination in insurance coverage.

Consumer Quality Review TeamsNAMI Ohio  is participating in a unique collaboration withOhio Advocates for Mental Health, Ohio Family Advocacy Organization for Children's  Mental Health and the Ohio Department of Mental Health. We are providing Training and Technical Assistance to teams of consumers and family members established to conduct system quality review of mental health services in Ohio. Data gathered from interviews  with  consumers, family members, and providers in Ohio, will be  reported to mental health system boards and providers. Using a CQI process, these system people will plan and implement quality  improvements in the mental health system. The Ohio Department of  Mental Health is taking action to increase the number of CQRTs operating in Ohio.

NIMH Outreach for OhioNAMI Ohio  has been named the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)  Outreach and Education Partner for Ohio. This allows NAMI Ohio to help close the gap between research findings and clinical practice. "This program can help  advance the courses of action proposed in the recent Surgeon General's report on mental health, and that will improve the quality of mental health in the nation," said Surgeon General David Satcher, M.D.

Religious OutreachNAMI Ohio  staff and volunteers work with religious communities across Ohio, providing assistance to individuals and families who turn to their faith community in times of trouble.

Jails and Prisons Committee

End Discrimination Campaign - with  science and treatment presentation materials.

If you would like to receive email Advocacy Alerts from NAMI Ohio on topics such as legislative and policy advocacy issues as well as stigma-fighting campaigns, send a blank email to:
grassroots_advocates-subscribe@coalitionforhealthycommunities.info

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