Chapter 11: Community Mental Health

The Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is the Federal agency in the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that leads national efforts to demonstrate, evaluate, and disseminate service delivery models to treat mental illness, promote mental health and prevent the development or worsening of mental illness when possible. Visit the CMHS web site. Read about the CMHS programs and activities. Select one of the programs/activities and write a one-page summary on the program. Center for Mental Health Services

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the component of the National Institutes of Health charged with generating the knowledge needed to understand, treat, and prevent mental disorders. This site describes the many ways NIMH is taking advantage of exciting new scientific opportunities relevant to mental and behavioral disorders. Visit the NIMH web site. Click on "Health Information." This section offers information from NIMH about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illnesses. Included are information sheets, reports, news, fact sheets, and other educational materials. Select one topic from the "Mental Health Topics" section of and then provide a brief written summary of what you learned. National Institute of Mental Health

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a grass roots, self-help, support and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe mental illness and their loved ones. NAMI strives to reduce stigma and ignorance of severe mental illness by providing information on various disorders. Visit the NAMI web site. From the "Inform Yourself" select a topic that you are interested in learning more about. Write a 2-page summary of what you read. National Alliance on Mental Illness