Doing my part for mental health awareness

July 26, 2009 8:45 PM

I want to do something positive for mental health awareness aside from just engaging people on the subject when it comes up. Is there anyone out there I can consider donating my time or money to?

In the last year or so, I have gotten a handle on my mental health situation, and while I wasn't in the direst of straits, I still feel like I have been spared a lifetime of anguish. My awareness of the possibility that I might have a problem was pretty minimal for most of my life (though I'm rather young), and I'd like to pay forward my recent strides by doing something for the cause, such as it is, of mental health awareness, perhaps specifically panic/anxiety/depression issues. Unfortunately, a lot of the public face of mental health treatment is put forward by the drug companies, and while I <3 my pills, they don't really present the most balanced or helpful information to people, nor can one volunteer one's time for Pfizer. Are there reputable nonprofits out there doing good work in this area, like a Planned Parenthood for crazy people or something?

posted by silby to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness would be a good place to start. They do good work, from what I hear.
posted by gingerbeer at 8:59 PM on July 26, 2009

I donated to NAMI in a friend's name after she committed suicide. Three new addresses later, I am still deluged in mailings that will not stop, but have cost NAMI far more than I gave them in the first place. I agree that they seem to do good work, but I'm gonna recommend against a monetary donation to them.
posted by adiabat at 9:04 PM on July 26, 2009

If you have the time to put in you might want to volunteer for a crisis hotline. There is usually an extensive training program. However, it can give you a valuable set of skills and you would be a much-needed ear to someone who needs to talk.
posted by Flying Squirrel at 9:05 PM on July 26, 2009

You could always consider an anonymous donation if you don't want to wind up in adiabat's situation.
posted by IndigoRain at 10:25 PM on July 26, 2009 [1 favorite]

You could find a community MH clinic or facility in your area, and offer to volunteer for some of the public events that they hold. I used to work at a community agency and we had a day in the beginning of the school year where we handed out free backpacks and school supplies to families... we needed a lot of people to staff that event, as well as our holiday adopt-a-family event, things like that. There could be ways to directly affect the lives of people in your area if you find an organization like that... I know it's not specifically MH-awareness-oriented, but it's definitely something that strongly benefits the community receiving the MH services at that agency!
posted by so_gracefully at 12:18 AM on July 27, 2009

What about the Menninger Clinic or something similar in your area?
posted by B-squared at 7:25 AM on July 27, 2009