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National Alliance on Mental Illness
NAMI logo.gif
Founded 1979; 46 years ago (1979)
Founders Harriet Shetler
Beverly Young
Type Nonprofit 501(c)(3)
Focus Mental Health, Crisis Intervention
Headquarters 4301 Wilson Blvd., Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Area served
 United States
Method Support, education, awareness, advocacy, and research

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a group in the United States that helps people and families affected by mental illness. It started as a small group of families. NAMI's main goal is to offer support, education, and public awareness. They want everyone affected by mental illness to live healthy and fulfilling lives.

NAMI provides classes and training for people with mental illnesses, their families, and community members. These programs teach about mental health. NAMI also holds events like Mental Illness Awareness Week and NAMIWalks. These events help raise money and spread awareness.

NAMI's main office is in Arlington, Virginia. It has about 1,000 local groups across all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. NAMI gets money from donations, company support, events, and grants. They also publish a magazine called The Advocate and run a HelpLine for support.

How NAMI Started

NAMI was founded in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1979. Two women, Harriet Shetler and Beverly Young, started it. Both women had sons with schizophrenia, a type of mental illness. They felt frustrated because there wasn't enough help available. They also felt blamed for their sons' conditions.

So, they looked for other families who felt the same way. Their first meeting led to the creation of NAMI. In 1997, the group changed its name to just "NAMI." This was to use more respectful language. Later, in 2005, the full name became "National Alliance on Mental Illness."

What NAMI Does

NAMI's main goal is to help people recover and strengthen family relationships. They offer many programs and services. These include educational classes, support groups, and helpful information.

At first, NAMI mainly focused on family members. But now, they also work to include people who have mental illnesses themselves. NAMI also works hard to fight stigma. Stigma means unfair or negative ideas about mental illness. Another goal is to help everyone better understand mental health. They also work to make the mental health system better.

How NAMI Is Organized

NAMI is a nonprofit organization. It is run by a board of directors. The national NAMI office is like the main headquarters. Then there are state and local groups. These local groups work somewhat on their own. This helps them better serve the people in their communities.

The current leader of NAMI is Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. He helps guide the organization's plans.

NAMI's national and state groups help with leadership, public education, and speaking up for people. Local NAMI groups also help people find mental health resources. They organize NAMI programs and host local meetings and events.

Working with Others

Famous Supporters

NAMI has worked with many famous people and influencers. They help spread awareness about mental health. Some of these supporters include:

Leaders Working Together

Since 2020, NAMI's CEO Daniel Gillison, Jr. has brought together leaders from other mental health groups. They work together to improve mental health care in the country. This group includes leaders from organizations like the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health America.

Community Friends

NAMI also works with other groups in the community. For example, they partner with VoteRiders to share information about voter ID rules.

Other partners include:

NAMI's Approach

NAMI generally sees mental illnesses as health conditions, much like physical illnesses. They believe in understanding these conditions and helping people get the right support. NAMI also talks about anosognosia. This is when someone might not realize they have a mental health condition.

Advocacy Efforts

NAMI works to make life better for people with mental health conditions. They push for better healthcare and crisis support. They also work to stop discrimination and harmful practices related to mental illness.

NAMI Programs

NAMI offers many programs to support and educate individuals and families. Most of these programs are free. Local NAMI groups set up these programs. Each program is designed for a different group of people.

NAMI Family-to-Family

This is a free eight-week course for family members and friends of people with mental illness. It teaches about mental illness from a health perspective. The classes are taught by a NAMI-trained family member. They have personal experience with mental illness. This program is available in many states and parts of Canada.

What You Learn

The Family-to-Family program gives general information about mental illness. It covers conditions like schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. It also explains medications and their effects. The program helps families learn coping skills and how to find resources. It also teaches how to handle a crisis.

NAMI Peer-to-Peer

This is an eight-week education program for adults who have a mental illness. It helps them on their journey to recovery. The program includes talks, discussions, and exercises. It also teaches ways to manage stress. It shares information about mental illness and how to work with healthcare providers. This program is also available in Spanish.

NAMI In Our Own Voice

The NAMI In Our Own Voice (IOOV) program started in 1996. It lets people who are living well with mental illness share their stories. The idea is that their experiences can help others. This program shows that recovery is possible. It also helps build confidence and self-esteem.

Two trained speakers share their personal stories about mental illness with an audience. This program helps raise awareness about NAMI and mental illness. It also works to reduce stigma. IOOV often educates groups like law enforcement, politicians, and students.

NAMI Basics

The NAMI Basics Program is a six-session course. It is for parents or other main caregivers of children and teenagers with mental illness. It's like Family-to-Family but focuses on the special challenges of caring for a child. It also explains how mental illness can show up differently in kids.

NAMI Connection

The NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group Program is a weekly support group. It is for adults (18 and older) who have a mental illness. These groups meet for 90 minutes and are led by trained people. These leaders also have personal experience with mental illness.

NAMI On Campus

NAMIOnCampusTabeling
Students promoting a university affiliated NAMI On Campus organization

NAMI On Campus helps university students start NAMI groups at their schools. This program helps college-aged students with mental health issues. Many mental illnesses first appear when people are young adults. Surveys show that stigma is a big reason why students don't get help.

Ending the Silence

This program is 50 minutes to one hour long. It's for students, school staff, and family members. Two people present: one shares information, and a young adult shares their personal story of living well in recovery. This program helps middle and high school students learn more about mental health.

In 2017, former Second Lady of the United States Tipper Gore donated $1 million to this program.

How NAMI Is Funded

Carly Chaikin NAMI
Actress Carly Chaikin emceeing the 2016 NAMI Los Angeles Walk and introducing Secretary of State Alex Padilla

NAMI gets money from many places. This includes companies, government agencies, foundations, and individuals. NAMI makes sure to avoid conflicts of interest. They do not support any specific treatment or service. You can find records of NAMI's donations on their website.

Company Supporters

NAMI works with many companies that support their mission. Some of these include:

  • Acadia Pharmaceuticals
  • Alkermes
  • Bank of America
  • Beacon Health Options
  • Boehringer Ingelheim
  • Boeing
  • Bristol Myers Squibb
  • Chiesi Global Rare Diseases
  • Corcept Therapeutics
  • Genentech
  • Janssen
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • KPMG Foundation
  • Lululemon
  • Lundbeck
  • Myriad Genetics
  • Neurocrine Biosciences
  • NeuroStar
  • Northrop Grumman
  • Novo Nordisk
  • Otsuka Pharmaceutical
  • Pfizer
  • Sunovion
  • Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
  • Teva Pharmaceuticals

NAMIWalks

NAMIWalks are events where people walk to raise money for NAMI. In 2017, these walks raised $11.3 million across the country. About 68,000 people took part.

COVID-19 Mental Health Support Fund

NAMI started a special fund to help with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. This fund received donations from companies and other groups. NAMI also launched the Frontline Wellness program. This program helps healthcare workers.

See also

  • Cole Resource Center
  • Self-help groups for mental health
  • Treatment Advocacy Center
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