What is NAMI-WM?
NAMI-WM is a local affiliate of NAMI, the nation’s leading non-profit grassroots advocacy organization dedicated solely to improving the lives of children and adults with serious mental illness. NAMI-WM, with over 500 members, is a powerful voice throughout Western Massachusetts for fair treatment and better services. ERASE Stigma Erase Stigma NAMI-WM seeks to erase the pervasive stigma confronting persons with mental illnesses and their families. Facts About Mental Illness • One in five families will be affected by severe mental illness. • In any given year, about 5 million American adults suffer from an acute episode of one of the five most serious brain disorders. • Symptoms of brain disorders usually strike during late adolescence or early adulthood, although they can begin in early childhood or late adulthood. • Serious mental illnesses occur in all groups of people, regardless of race, gender, age, country of origin, ethnic or religious background, economic class, education level
