If you’re dealing with mental illness yourself or with a family member, friend, or colleague, you’re probably already playing the role of mental health advocate. Every time you spread the word about mental illness and teach someone else what you know about it, you make it a more acceptable topic of conversation. Every time you mobilize services for you or your loved one, despite tremendous roadblocks within the mental health system and despite the stigma and resistance in the wider community, you are practicing grass roots advocacy. If you are ready to do even more, consider taking on an active role in mental health legislation, becoming a grass-roots lobbyist for the cause.

If you’re not sure how to get started, DBSA (the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance) offers all the information and resources you need via its DBSA Advocacy Center, where you can download DBSA’s Effective Advocacy pamphlet. The Advocacy Center also provides links to DBSA’s Legislative Watch, where you can learn more about the latest mental health issues; Making Your Voice Heard, where you learn the five steps to effective advocacy; and much more. The Advocacy Center even provides a sample letter and tips for communicating effectively with government officials and a searchable directory so you can find contact information for your representatives.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) also has a Legislative Action Center where you can…

• Search for your government officials by Zip code. (You can use the form at the top of this article, which has been supplied by NAMI.)
• Add your email address to the Action E-List to get alerts when your involvement can make a difference.
• Sign up to obtain your representatives’ votes by e-mail weekly.
• Access the U.S. House and Senate’s schedule for the day.
• Search for scheduled congressional committee hearings.
• Join StigmaBusters to fight against inaccurate and damaging representations of mental illness in the media.

You can also check out the Mental Health Advocacy Coalition, a group that “fosters education and awareness of mental health issues while advocating for public policies and strategies that provide an effective, well-funded county mental health system that serves those in need, resulting in a stronger community.” The group’s Web site features news, mental health facts & figures, information on how to become an effective advocate, and information on current issues.

If you have other suggestions on how to get involved in mental health advocacy, please share your ideas, experiences, and insights.

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