With one in four people over the age of 18 having a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year, NAMI-WM has a vested interest in supporting efforts to improve the lives of those with mental illness.

NAMI is a grassroots, family and consumer self-help, support, education, and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe mental illnesses.

Severe mental illnesses are biologically based brain disorders that can profoundly disrupt a person's ability to think, feel and relate to their environment and to others.

What is the NAMI mission?
NAMI is dedicated to the eradication of mental illnesses and to the improvement of the quality of life of all whose lives are affected by these diseases

The four legs of our mission

Support
NAMI-WM sponsors support groups for families, friends and people themselves who have a biologically based brain disorder.

These support groups are family or peer facilitated groups whose sole purpose is to offer support to those in attendance, and to share information relevant to NAMI and mental illnesses. Personal information discussed is confidential, and membership in NAMI is not required in order to attend.

Education
NAMI-WM is linked with NAMI-MASS and NAMI-NATIONAL to carry out educational classes, meetings, events and other activities to help educate the public and our legislators to the very fact that mental illnesses are biologically based brain disorders and it is of no fault of a parent or any other family member that their loved one has a mental illness. Education stops stigma.

Advocacy
NAMI-WM advocates on local and state levels to ensure nondiscriminatory and equitable private-sector policies are in place as well as a commitment to research treatment and cures for mental illness

Research
NARSAD--The Mental Health Research Association ( previously known as the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression ) is the largest donor-supported organization in the world devoted to funding scientific research on brain and behavior disorders.