NAMI Wants Stronger Partnership

Psychiatrist Susan Vogel-Scibilia, M.D., president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), told APA's Board of Trustees last month that while the agendas of the two organizations may not always be identical, NAMI and APA share a commitment to several critical issues. Among these are furthering psychiatric research, increasing access to care, addressing the“ encroachment of allied professions” into psychiatric care, and enhancing outreach to multicultural and other specific populations.

She also highlighted NAMI's dramatic growth from its formation in 1979 by five Wisconsin parents whose children had severe mental illness to the national organization that today has more than 200,000 members and considerable political clout at the local, state, and national levels.

She said that one of NAMI's goals is to strengthen its collaborations with APA and other organizations representing those who provide mental health care.