Press Releases

President Bush's "New Freedom" Commission on Mental Health Releases Interim Report
Nov 01 2002

Today's interim report is an important first step. It defines critical problems in the nation's mental healthcare system-and confirms the fact that after three decades of broken promises, the system is worse than many people ever imagined.

NAMI Lists Nation's Worst "Halloween Horrors"
Oct 28 2002

It is a recurring problem that has to stop," said Rick Birkel, executive director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), which earlier this month launched a "Campaign for the Mind of America" to eliminate stigma and seek broad reforms in the nation's mental health system.

NAMI Mourns Death of Senator Paul Wellstone
Oct 25 2002

NAMI advocates throughout the nation are shocked and saddened to learn that the lives of Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), his wife and daughter were tragically cut short today in the crash of a small plane in northern Minnesota.

"Campaign for the Mind of America" Launched
Oct 07 2002

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) today announced the launch of the "Campaign for the Mind of America," a multi-year effort on many fronts to promote investment in recovery-and to prevent the abandonment of yet another generation of Americans with mental illnesses to neglect and hopelessness.

NAMI Condemns Congressional Hearing for Promoting "Bad Science"
Sep 25 2002

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) criticized the House of Representatives' Committee on Government Reform for scheduling a hearing tomorrow on the "Overmedication of Hyperactive Children" -- late in the waning days of the legislative session -- that "will largely recycle bad science and trivializes the need for early identification and treatment of mental illnesses in children and adolescents."

New NIMH Director Named
Sep 11 2002

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) is pleased to welcome the selection of Thomas Insel, M.D. of Emory University in Atlanta as the new Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

NAMI Hace un Llamado a la Comisión Presidencial Pidiendo "Competencia Cultural" en el Sistema de Salud Mental:
Aug 08 2002

La National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI - Alianza Nacional para Enfermos Mentales), la organización líder nacional dedicada a mejorar las vidas de las personas que sufren severas enfermedades mentales, rindió su testimonio hoy ante la Comisión de Salud Mental "New Freedom" del Presidente Bush, pidiendo reformas que logren "competencia cultural" en el sistema de tratamientos de la nación.

NAMI Calls for "Cultural Competence" in Mental Health System Before Presidential Commission
Aug 08 2002

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), the nation's largest organization dedicated to improving life for people with severe mental illnesses, testifying today before President Bush's "New Freedom" Commission on Mental Health, called for reforms that achieve "cultural competence" in the nation's treatment system.

Presidential Commission Seeks New Era for Mental Health Care
Jul 28 2002

Charles Curie, head of the federal Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and member of President Bush's newly-appointed New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, told members of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) at their annual convention today that the nation's mental health care system needs to enter a new "era of recovery" driven by consumer and family needs and preferences.

Mental Health Parity: Benefits Outweigh Costs and Risks of Untreated Illnesses
Jul 23 2002

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) thanks Chairman Billy Tauzin of the Committee on Energy & Commerce and Representative Michael Bilarakis, chairman of the Health Subcommittee, and their colleagues, for convening today's hearing on insurance coverage of mental illness.