“We offer hope to those whose hope is failing, and receive from others hope when ours falters.”

An Association of people who care about people with mental illnesses who seek to...

Provide support to families of the mentally ill;
Educate themselves and the public about mental illness;
Advocate for better services for people with mental illness; and
Foster research to discover the causes of mental illness and to find a cure.

Affiliated with:
National Alliance on Mental Illness of Colorado
and
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Grass Roots Organization

namicos@qwestoffice.net
www.namicoloradosprings.org
Serving the Pikes Peak Region

You are invited to join us in...
Family to Family/EMPOWER Support Group Meetings
Are you alone and trying to cope with the mental illness of a loved one? Join with others who have had similar experiences and can give you counsel and moral support.

Family Education Program (Family to Family/Colorado Visions Education Programs) Free multi-week courses for family members and friends of adults and children with severe brain disorders. Each course is taught by trained volunteer family members.

Advocacy
Do you want to learn more about mental illnesses and resources available to patients and families?

Do you want to advocate to influence legislation and increase funds for research?

Join with other volunteers who are also concerned and are working for improved resources and conditions.
For information or help, please call:

NAMI-CS ............................... (719) 473-8477
Pikes Peak
Mental Health Center ............ (719) 572-6200
Crisis Number ........................ (719) 635-7000
NAMI Colorado Toll-Free
Help Line ............................... 1-888-566-6264

Facts about Mental Illness:
Mental illnesses are physical brain disorders that profoundly disrupt a person’s ability to think, feel and relate to others and their environment.
Mental illnesses are more common than cancer, diabetes or heart disease.
One in every five families is affected in their lifetime by a severe mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and major depression.

One in ten children and adolescents have mental illnesses severe enough to cause some level or impairment.

The treatment success rate for schizophrenia is 60 percent, 65 percent for major depression, and 80 percent for bipolar disorder.

The number one reason for hospital admissions nationwide is a biological psychiatric condition. At any moment, almost 21 percent of all hospital beds are filled by people with a mental illness.'

The total price tag of mental illness in this country is $148 billion, including direct costs (hospitalizations, medications) and indirect costs (lost wages, family care giving, losses due to suicide).

On any given day, approximately 150,000 people with severe mental illness are homeless, living on the street or in public shelters.

Roughly 80 to 90 percent of people with serious brain disorders are unemployed.

* Information from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill