National Alliance on Mental Illness

Public Awareness, Partnerships and Outreach: COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE NAMI seeks to advance the mental wellness of all people living in the U.S. We know the tools people need will depend on age, background, location, language, family ties and much more. Throughout 2023, we improved and expanded our offerings for communities across the country, including many whose needs have long been overlooked. See Schedule O for additional Public Awareness, Partnerships and Outreach highlights in 2023

Information, Support and Education: EDUCATION AND SUPPORT GROUPS REVEAL THE POWER OF A COMMUNITY THAT CARESThroughout 2023, NAMI found new ways to enrich and expand our community-based education and peer support programs, drawing on the wisdom and lived experience of people who are devoted to helping others learn, grow and thrive. See Schedule O for additional Information, Support and Education highlights in 2023

Public Policy and Advocacy: RECORD-BREAKING ADVOCACY DRIVES PROGRESS FOR MILLIONS In 2023, we reached a watershed moment in mental health, thanks to the nonstop activity of NAMI advocates nationwide. Thousands of volunteers affiliated with NAMI's Government Relations and Policy & Advocacy teams pressed for laws and policies that will reap benefits for millions. See Schedule O for additional Public Policy and Advocacy highlights in 2023

Research: RESEARCH TO IMPROVE TREATMENT, FOSTER UNDERSTANDING AND HOPE NAMI's commitment to mental health research dates to the earliest days of the Alliance. In 2023, we shared new insights from brain science, lived experience, genetics and treatment options while advocating for current and future research that will yield healing answers for millions. NAMI TOOK PART IN 60 RESEARCH ENGAGEMENTS, including 12 research advisory groups and steering committees. We actively partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Accelerating Medicines Partnership Schizophrenia Steering Committee and Work Groups, the National Alliance on Caregiving, the National Rural Adolescent and Child Health Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Training Center and many other groups devoted to mental health research. Other partners included the Adobe Foundation, Collaborative Design for Recovery and Health, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance and the Schizophrenia International Research Society.NAMI JOINED THE GLOBAL BIPOLAR COHORT RESEARCH INITIATIVE AND THE HUMAN PHENOTYPE ONTOLOGY GROUP, a workshop dedicated to the development of a detailed and flexible diagnostic profile for bipolar disorder and a user-friendly algorithm to aid clinical diagnosis. An academic manuscript based on the outcomes of the workshop has been submitted for publication in Nucleic Acids Research.NAMI PARTICIPATED IN A PANEL TITLED "CENTERING LIVED EXPERIENCE AND CARE" at the inaugural Integrated Network Investigator Meeting for the Breakthrough Discoveries for Thriving with Bipolar Disorder research initiative.NAMI ATTENDED A RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY CONFERENCE focusing on addressing nonbiological causes of mortality in people with serious mental illness led by the organization Collaborative Design for Recovery and Health, resulting in an academic manuscript published in JAMA Open Network in May 2023.NAMI WAS REPRESENTED IN DEVELOPING A SURVEY ON THE SIDE EFFECTS OF ANTIPSYCHOTIC TREATMENTS, the results of which were presented as a poster at the 2023 meeting of the Schizophrenia International Research Society in Toronto, and as an academic manuscript has been submitted for publication in Schizophrenia Research.