Contact Us

WATER TOWER PLAZA II 307 Orchard City Drive #205 Campbell, CA 95008

Tel: (408) 583-0001
Fax: (408) 583-0004

info@namisantaclara.org

Office Hours: Mon - Fri 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

 

Welcome to NAMI Santa Clara County

NAMI Santa Clara County is one of the largest Bay Area NAMI affiliates of the the NAMI California and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). We offer practical experience, support, education, comfort and understanding to anyone concerned about mental illnesses (primarily schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression and OCD) and their treatment of services in Santa Clara County.

In addition, we work with public organizations, private businesses and the media to increase organizational and personal knowledge of effective ways to deal with the illnesses while advocating for increased research and improved services for individuals with mental illness.

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General Meeting

There are no general meetings during the Summer.

Next meeting Tuesday September 9th, 2008 at Good Samaritan Hospital Auditorium.

More...

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NAMI Launches Veterans Resource Center

Recently, NAMI National launched its Veterans Resource Center, www.nami.org/veterans, an online portal to mental health resources for America's veterans, active duty service members, and their families. Many of our veterans who are returning home from active duty face a second war at home, confronting profound mental health problems that challenge their lives and the lives of their families.

Consider these statistics:

  • Almost 1 in 3 veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq confront mental health problems.
  • In 2006, the suicide rate in the Army reached its highest level in 26 years.
  • Approximately 30% of veterans treated in the Veterans health system suffer from depressive systems, two to three times the rate of the general population.
  • More Vietnam veterans have now died from suicide than were killed directly during the war in the 1960s and 70s.
  • Approximately 40% of homeless veterans have mental illnesses. Approximately 57% of this group are African American or Hispanic veterans.

In an effort to respond to these issues, NAMI's Veterans Resource Center features a growing compilation of fact sheets, self-help information, online discussion groups, research and policy updates, and links to government agencies and other private organizations. NAMI has made the Center a priority to meet the growing need.

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COUNTY BUDGET WOES—WRITE A LETTER

Again this year Santa Clara County has extreme budget problems. And again the County Board of Supervisors is planning major cuts in the budget for the Mental Health Department.

Please consider writing or calling your supervisor to ask him or her to restore some or all of the proposed cuts. Further details and sample letter...

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Grading The States

Read all about it at www.nami.org.

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DONATE Your Vehicle to NAMI Santa Clara

More details available here. Or go straight to the donation form.

NEWS And Views

Two New Groups
Artists' Hour and Consumer Support Group

NAMI Santa Clara County is proud to host two new support groups. Artists' Hour which meets the 4th Sunday of each month and the NAMI Connection Support Group which, starting in January 2008, will meet every Sunday. Both meetings are at the NAMI SCC office. For information about other support groups please check our newsletter. Up-to-date support group information can be found in the most recent newsletter.

How to Help Your Ill Family Member

Much misinformation exists regarding the legal requirements for communication between mental health providers and family members of a person with a mental illness. In order to correct that misinformation, the County Mental Health Department, NAMI SCC, and a consumer group have developed a one-page summary of California's legal requirements. Among those is that consideration must be given to relevant evidence presented by family members and to the historical course of a person's illness. Two pages of forms have been developed which help family members present this information in a comprehensive, yet succinct way. To read the summary and the blank forms, click here.

Network of Care Online Resources

Network of Care is a website where consumers, community-based organizations and municipal government workers can access a wide variety of mental health information. It includes a service directory, a library, a political advocacy tool, and community message boards. In particular, the "My Folder" section of the site, has WRAP training by Mary Ellen Copeland, that now allows all consumers the ability to do a WRAP plan.

Peer-toPeer Outreach Video Online

The outreach video for the Peer-to-Peer Education Recovery Course is now available online. View it here.

I Am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help

In this online video of a lecture given by Dr. Xavier Amador, author of "I Am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help," he discusses the 40% of those with mental illness that lack insight regarding their illness and what we can do to help.

The Genetics of Schizophrenia

In this 30-minute video interview, Dr. David Braff, Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD, discusses schizophrenia with an emphasis on the role genetics play in this disease. Schizophrenia is thought to result from a complex interplay of genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors. Understanding the genetic components of schizophrenia is crucial to finding out about the risk factors, and heritability of this illness. This may lend itself to the creation of more effective treatments. video

Marijuana and Your Teen's Mental Health

If you have outdated perceptions about marijuana, you might be putting your teen at risk. New research is giving us better insight into the serious consequences of teen marijuana use, especially how it impacts mental health. more...