LANSING, Mich., Sept. 3 The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Michigan is launching a television awareness campaign this holiday weekend designed to dispel the negative stigma associated with mental illness.
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"Mental illness can be treated and most people with some form of mental illness lead normal lives with the support of their family and friends," said Sherri Solomon, Executive Director of NAMI Michigan. "We are so proud to kick off this anti-stigma TV awareness campaign and help the public understand that mental illness is like any other treatable disease. These public service announcements (PSA's) use real people who volunteered to show their faces and to prove there are many faces associated to mental illness, and we ask viewers to call or go to the NAMI Michigan website for more information."
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NAMI Michigan's anti-stigma TV campaign has been distributed to television stations in cooperation with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. The PSA's strive to educate the public and break down barriers and the negative image of people who are diagnosed with mental illness.
Mental illness affects one in four families. Treatment works, but only one-half of all people living with mental illness receive treatment because research shows there is a negative public stigma of people diagnosed with mental illness. People suffering with physical illness usually receive medical help and support from family and friends, but people who are diagnosed with mental illness avoid treatment because of the negative social stigma.
On September 26, 2009 on Belle Isle in Detroit, supporters will join NAMI Walks event to raise money and awareness about the need for world-class treatment and a recovery system for people diagnosed with mental illness.
The production of the NAMI Michigan TV awareness anti-stigma campaign is made possible by the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation; a private foundation that uses its resources to improve services for children, adolescents and adults with mental illness.
From its inception in 1979, NAMI has been dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. Due in large part to generous individual, corporate, and foundation donations, NAMI is able to build on its success and continue to focus on three cornerstones of activity that offer hope, reform, and health to our American community: Support, Education, and Advocacy. For more information go online to www.NAMIMI.org or call 1-800-331-4264.
SOURCE NAMI Michigan
