Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

Organization

• Agoraphobics Building Independent Lives (ABIL)
  Agoraphobics Building Independent Lives is a non-profit organization for persons dealing with anxiety and panic disorders, incorporated in the State of Virginia. It has support groups nationwide.

• Alliance for Justice
  Association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, consumer, and women's organizations dedicated to the survival and growth of public interest advocacy.

• APA Help Center
  This representation of the Help Center may help you find information that interests you more quickly. If you are still having difficulty, try searching the Help Center using your keywords.

• CHARG Resource Center
  The Center provides mental health treatment, advocacy, self-help and support, and recreational opportunities; offers information about mental illness to the public.

• Cigna: Direct costs of depression in the workplace are tip of the iceberg
  

• Comprehensive Advocacy, Inc. - Idaho
  This organization is Idaho's State Protection Agency. It assists people with disabilities to protect, promote and advance their legal and human rights, through quality legal, individual, and system advocacy.

• Consumer Organization and Networking Technical Assistance Center
  Consumer Organization and Networking Technical Assistance Center is sponsored by the West Virginia Mental Health Consumers Association. Serves as a resource for consumer/survivors/ex-patients and consumer-run organizations across the United States, promoting self-help, recovery, and empowerment.

• Depressed Anonymous
  This is a 12 step program of recovery for persons with depression.

• Depressionforums.org
  Depressionforums.org offers a platform for open peer discussion on the Internet for members in an atmosphere that is both supportive and informative. Participants discuss their experiences with depressive illnesses, other mental health issues, treatment options, and related topics.

• Healing Touch: A Self-Injury Website
  This site offers resources for people who self-injure.

• Human Services Research Institute
  The Human Services Research Institute assists States and the Federal Government enhance services and support for people with mental illness and mental retardation and develop alternatives to congregate care facilities.

• MadNation
  This web site contains articles and editorials for and by activists working for social justice and human rights in the field of mental health.

• Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECC), Department of Veterans Affairs
  This Web site links users to all MIRECC centers. The stated mission of these centers is "to generate new knowledge about the causes and treatments of mental disorders, apply new findings to model clinical programs, and widely disseminate new findings through education to improve the quality of veterans' lives and their daily functioning in their recovering from mental illness." There are currently 10 MIRECCs nationwide.

• MilitaryHOMEFRONT
  This Web portal serves as a central source for Service members and families to obtain information about all Quality of Life programs and services. These resources are available to supporters of military families also.

• National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
  National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information provides a national resource for professionals and others seeking information on child abuse and neglect and child welfare.

• National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center (NCSTAC)
  The National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center supports organizations providing services for mental health consumers, survivors and ex-patients by providing technical assistance in the forms of research, informational materials, and financial aid.

• NEEDID Support Network, Inc.
  NEEDID Support Network, Inc. is a peer support network run by and for people with dissociative identity disorder and other trauma related dissociative disorders. The site includes mailing list, message forum, links, and reading room.

• Panic Survivor
  This online community provides a forum for people who have been through trauma to tell their stories.

• People Who
  People Who is a U S 501 (c) (3) organization incorporated in California. The web site includes information on a wide range issues that impact on the consumer/survivor community.

• Programs for the Military: Mental Health Self-Assessment
  Sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD), this online mental health screening and referral program serves families and service members/veterans affected by deployment or mobilization. The program offers free and anonymous mental health and alcohol screening with referrals to services provided through the DoD and Veterans Affairs. It is available to every branch of the military including National Guard and Reserve units. Resources to promote this self-assessment program are available at: http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/Military

• Psychology Self-Help Resources on the Internet
  Psychology Self-Help Resources on the Internet provides links to noncommercial sites providing information and help about specific disorders. Lists of brochures and articles, commercial psychology-related Web sites, psychology journals on the Web, other psychology resources, and scholarly psychology resources are available here.

• Psychosis InSite
  This Web site is maintained by the Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) of the VA Desert Pacific Healthcare Network (VISN 22 in California/Nevada). The site offers free streaming video lectures presented at previous MIRECC sponsored accredited continuing education conferences, free online newsletter, links to VA mental clinics and other mental health resources, a discussion forum, and more. This Web site serves consumers of mental health information and professionals in the field.

• Recovery, Inc.
  Recovery, Inc. is a self-help mental health program based on the ground breaking work of our founder a neuropsychiatrist, the late Abraham A. Low, M.D. We are non-profit, non-sectarian, and completely member managed. Recovery Inc., has been active since 1937 and we have groups meeting every week around the world.

• Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America
  Interdisciplinary association for the advancement of rehabilitation and assistive technologies.

• Self-Injury, Abuse & Trauma Resource Directory
  This site provides numerous links to Internet information about self-injury, abuse, and trauma.

• SMA 05-3982
  This summary of the Summit is intended to provide an overview of the many issues raised in the working papers prepared for the Summit and during the meeting itself. The working papers are listed in the references and are available on the Web at www.store.samhsa.gov/consumersurvivor under "Featured Publications". Some of the topics and many of the themes from the papers have been summarized. In addition, a summary of the workgroup discussions and their specific recommendations have been provided. Taken together, these present the thoughts and perspectives of the participants and provide a basis for those working to develop consumer direction initiatives at any level�local, State, and Federal.

• The Access Board
  An independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities.

• The Medicine Program
  The Medicine Program was established by volunteers seeking to help those individuals who could not afford the cost of their prescriptions.

• The Office on Women's Health
  Coordinates women's health efforts in HHS to eliminate disparities in health status and supports culturally sensitive educational programs that encourage women to take personal responsibility for their own health and wellness.

• The Project Hope Foundation
  The Project Hope Foundation is dedicated to reducing depression and suicide (especially youth suicide). It has books, videos and instructions on self-education and how to run Life Skills Open Forums.

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  Federal agency responsible for national housing programs, fair housing opportunities, and improvement and development of the Nations' communities.

• Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC)
  Based in Melbourne, Australia. Consumer/survivor-run advocacy organization for people with mental health problems.

Online Resources

• PubMed
  PubMed is a service of the National Library of Medicine providing access to over 11 million MEDLINE citations and additional life science journals. Also links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources.

• MEDLINE plus: Health Information
  Searchable consumer health information database from the National Library of Medicine.

• Consumer Information Center of the U.S.
  The official web site of the Federal Consumer Information Center, linking users to materials on an array of topics�directories, fact sheets, brochures, books and other print and online resources� produced by offices and agencies within the federal government.

• 1st Person
  An on-line mental health magazine devoted to the perspectives of people who have had mental health conditions. Visitors are invited to send in material for the magazine.

• National Empowerment Center (NEC)
  The National Empowerment Center is an independent group including survivors of mental institutions, advocates, civil rights activists, mental health workers, and lawyers. It exposes abuse and promotes alternatives to the mental health system.

• National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse
  The National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse is a consumer-run resource center specializing in self-help and advocacy.

• THRIVEnet
  A place to learn about survival. Covers change, agility, resilience, hardiness, creative adapting, the survivor personality, overcoming job loss, serendipity, successful schizophrenia, synchronicity, the synergistic personality, and other issues related to life skills and mental health.

• The Anxiety-Panic Internet Resource
  The Anxiety-Panic Internet Resource is a self-help network dedicated to the overcoming and curiosity of overwhelming anxiety.

• Factsforhealth.org
  Factsforhealth.org was created by the not-for-profit Madison Institute of Medicine to increase the understanding of mental health disorders. Helps people identify, understand and find treatment for social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Provides clinician referrals and free online CME courses for PTSD and PMDD.

• National Anxiety Foundation
  Information on anxiety disorders for professionals and the general public can be found here. An international directory of anxiety health care professionals is also availalbe on this site.

• The SupportPath.com
  The SupportPath.com allows people with health, personal, and relationship issues to share their experiences through IRC chat and Bulletin Boards. The site also has links to support-related information on the Internet.

• Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology Transfer, Center for Assistive Technology
  Addresses the hurdles involved in technology transfer and how to overcome them, and shows how to secure the resources and knowledge needed to improve the movement of core technology or prototype product to the market place.

• Project dERE Inc.
  A non-profit group that provides technology and knowledge to assist people with disabilities to master the power of electronic communication.

• HandsNet
  A national, nonprofit promoting information sharing, cross-sector collaboration, and advocacy among individuals and organizations working on a broad range of public interest issues.

• American Psychological Association: Consumer Help Center
  The APA site provides brochures, fact sheets and an online psychologist referral service for persons affected by mental disorders, their families and others who care about them.

• Freedom Now
  This is a self-help guide for influencing one's emotional climate and dealing with sensations positively.

• American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse: Self-Help Sourcebook OnLine!
  Database of over 800 national/model self-help support groups, local self-help group clearinghouses worldwide, group research summaries, and how-to's on starting groups.

• Transformations: A Forum for Self-Help and Recovery
  This forum is dedicated to helping those in recovery and seeking spiritual growth. Includes resources and a calendar for live support and recovery group meetings.

• Will I Go Crazy?
  This site addresses mental disorders and related issues, including stigma.

• The MentalHealth.Net Directory
  Users can search this database by name or by location to locate mental health professionals. Professionals are invited to add their names to (or edit information) the directory.

• Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator
  This site provides names, addresses, and contact information on public and private facilities that are licensed, certified, or otherwise approved by State substance abuse agencies can be found here. Over 11,000 substance abuse facilities are available.

• Ask NOAH About: Dealing with Traumatic Events
  Resources that address the many issues related to disaster and mental health can be found here. This site is maintained by New York Online Access to Health (NOAH), a partnership of four New York partners including The City University of New York (CUNY).

• Manic Depressive Annonymous
  Manic Depressive Annonymous provides recovery tips based on the 12 step model. The group offers a kit for those interested in starting a chapter of the program in their local area

• Consumer Operated Services Program Multisite Research Initiative
  The primary goal of this program is to establish how effective consumer-operated services are in improving outcomes for consumers of mental health services. This web page provides more information on the program.

• Five Steps to Safer Health Care
  Patient safety is one of the Nation's most pressing health care challenges. This fact sheet tells what you can do to get safer health care. It was developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association.

• DBSA Peer-to-Peer Resource Center
  The Peer-to-Peer Resource Center operates under a National Consumer/ Consumer Supporter Self-Help Technical Assistance Center grant to DBSA from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Center for Mental Health Services. The Center serves people living with all kinds of mental illnesses, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and other illnesses.

• A new approach to complicated grief
  

• Support, Technical Assistance, Resource Center (STAR Center)
  The STAR Center is one of five consumer and consumer supporter technical assistance centers nationwide, funded by SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) to promote self-help in the planning, delivery and evaluation of mental health services. The STAR Center develops, produces, disseminates, and stores a wide range of culturally appropriate materials, resources, and tools for consumers, consumer-operated programs and self-help groups that strengthen skills, organizational capabilities, and service capacity. All materials and technical assistance services are accessible through this web site, a national toll-free telephone number�(866) 537-STAR (7827), E-newsletters, and a resource library. The Web site is also translated in Spanish El Centro STAR.

• Building Bridges: Co-Occurring Mental Illness and Addiction: Consumer and Service Providers, Policymakers, and Researchers in Dialogue
  

• Healthy Minds.Org
  Sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), HealthyMinds.org is a consumer-oriented Web site designed to inform users about mental health treatment and resources. The site has information about warning signs of mental disorders and prevention measures, as well as access to other mental health resources and a psychiatrist locator feature.

• Mental Illness Policy Org.
  Mental Health Policy Org. is a consumer-run Think-Tank that provides unbiased and easy-to-access information about care and treatment of people with serious and persistent mental illness and addresses difficult issues like violence and involuntary treatment. 

CMHS Mental Health Services Facility Locator