Edwin Fuller Torrey, is an American psychiatrist and schizophrenia researcher. He is Associate Director of Research at the Stanley Medical Research Institute (SMRI) and founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC), a nonprofit organization whose principal activity is promoting the passage and implementation of outpatient commitment laws and civil commitment laws and standards in individual states that allow people diagnosed with mental illness to be forcibly committed and medicated easily throughout the United States.
Patrick Joseph Kennedy II is an American politician and mental health advocate. From 1995 to 2011, he served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island's 1st congressional district. He is the founder of the Kennedy Forum, a former member of the President’s Commission on Combatting Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, and co-founder of One Mind.
The National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) is a United States-based advocacy group originally founded as a grassroots group by family members of people diagnosed with mental illness. NAMI identifies its mission as being "dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness". NAMI offers classes and trainings for people living with mental illnesses, their families, community members, and professionals, including what is termed psychoeducation, or education about mental illness NAMI holds regular events which combine fundraising for the organization and education, including Mental Illness Awareness Week and NAMIWalks.
Mental health is a level of psychological well-being or an absence of mental illness - the state of someone who is "functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioural adjustment". From the perspectives of positive psychology or of holism, mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life, and to create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health includes "subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, inter-generational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others." The WHO further states that the well-being of an individual is encompassed in the realization of their abilities, coping with normal stresses of life, productive work and contribution to their community. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how one defines "mental health".
The New Freedom Commission on Mental Health was established by U.S. President George W. Bush through Executive Order 13263 on April 29, 2002 to conduct a comprehensive study of the U.S. mental health service delivery system and make recommendations based on its findings. The commission has been touted as part of his commitment to eliminate inequality for Americans with disabilities.
Dr. Lisa Dixon is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where her primary research interests have focused on persons with severe mental illnesses who have co-morbid medical and substance use disorders, homelessness, and other vulnerabilities as well as on services to family members. She is the director of the Division of Services Research within the Department of Psychiatry at Maryland, and joined the Veterans Affairs Capital Health Care Network as Associate Director for Research at the Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center. She was previously the Director of Education and Residency Training at Maryland.
World Mental Health Day is a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries. This day, each October, thousands of supporters come to celebrate this annual awareness program to bring attention to mental illness and its major effects on peoples' life worldwide. In some countries this day is part of an awareness week, such as Mental Health Week in Australia.
Schizophrenics Anonymous is a peer support group to help people who are affected by schizophrenia and related disorders including bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, psychotic depression and psychosis.
The Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) is a U.S. nonprofit organization based in Arlington, Virginia, USA. The organization, originally announced as the NAMI Treatment Action Center in 1997, was subsequently directed by psychiatrist E. Fuller Torrey, identifies its mission as ″dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illness″. The organization is most well-known for proposed laws, policies, and practices in the areas of legally compelled outpatient services or outpatient commitment for people diagnosed with mental illness. The organization identifies its other key issues as "anosognosia, consequences of non-treatment, criminalization of mental illness, psychiatric bed shortages, public service costs, violence and mental illness". TAC has been subject to criticism by mental health advocates to be promoting coercion and forced treatment.
Kendra's Law, effective since November 1999, is a New York State law concerning involuntary outpatient commitment. It grants judges the authority to issue orders that require people who meet certain criteria to regularly undergo psychiatric treatment. Failure to comply could result in commitment for up to 72 hours. Kendra's Law does not mandate that patients be forced to take medication.
Assertive community treatment (ACT) is an intensive and highly integrated approach for community mental health service delivery. ACT teams serve individuals with more serious mental illness, with most having a significant thought disorder. In addition to having more severe symptoms, which are further negatively impacted by societal stigma and discrimination, individuals who qualify for ACT tend to have higher rates of substance abuse, histories of victimization and trauma, hospitalizations, arrests and incarceration, homelessness, and additional indicators of functional challenges related to social relationships and employment. In a broader mental health service system, ACT is often seen as a less restrictive alternative to more supervised and custodial treatment settings.
Healthcare in Pakistan is administered mainly in the private sector which accounts for approximately 80% of all outpatient visits. The public sector was until recently led by the Ministry of Health. However, the Ministry was abolished in June 2011 and all health responsibilities were devolved to provincial health departments which had been the main executors of public sector health programs. The Ministry of National Regulations and Services was reestablished in April 2012. Like other South Asian countries, health and sanitation infrastructure is adequate in urban areas but is generally poor in rural areas.
Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) was established in 1990 by the U.S. Congress in recognition of efforts by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to educate and increase awareness about mental illness. It takes place every year during the first full week of October. During this week, mental health advocates and organizations across the U.S. join to sponsor events to promote community outreach and public education concerning mental illnesses such as major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Examples of activities held during the week include art/music events, educational sessions provided by healthcare professionals, advertising campaigns, health fairs, movie nights, candlelight vigils, and benefit runs.
A Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a police mental health collaborative program. The term "CIT" is often used to describe both a program and a training in law enforcement to help guide interactions between law enforcement and those living with a mental illness.
Eleanor Owen, also known as Eleanor DeVito, is an American journalist, playwright, university professor, costume designer, theatre actress, and mental health professional. She has received statewide and national honors and awards for her advocacy work on behalf of families and individuals with mental illness. Serving as an advocate in Olympia, Washington, Owen has participated in the introduction and successful passage of health and human services legislation.
A mental health care navigator is an individual who assists patients and families to find appropriate mental health caregivers, facilities and services. Individuals who are care navigators are often also trained therapists and doctors.
BPDFamily.com is an online support group for the family members of individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The group is one of the first "cyber" support groups to be recognized by the medical providers and receive professional referrals.
The 21st Century Cures Act is a United States law enacted by the 114th United States Congress in December 2016. It authorized $6.3 billion in funding, mostly for the National Institutes of Health. The act was supported especially by large pharmaceutical manufacturers and was opposed especially by consumer organizations.
The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) is a professional organization representing pharmacists and other healthcare professionals in the specialty areas of psychiatric and neurologic pharmacy practice within the United States. It is the only such organization representing the interests of neuropsychiatric pharmacists in the United States. In an effort to help connect patients with psychiatric pharmacists, CPNP maintains "The Mental Health Pharmacy Directory," an online search engine that includes more than 850 mental health pharmacies. As of December 2015, CPNP is a member of the Coalition on Psychiatric Emergencies (COPE) and is the only professional pharmacy organization represented on the coalition. In January 2017, CPNP was elected to membership status on the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP). CPNP is the only Board of Pharmacy Specialties accredited provider of BCPP recertification products.
Lori Schiller, now Lori Jo Baach, is the author of the memoir The Quiet Room-- A Journey out of the Torment of Madness. When she was 17, she began to hear voices, and was later diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder. The Quiet Room--A Journey out of the Torment and Madness follows her story as well as her family and friends as they navigate her mental disorder.
