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About Our Affiliate
We are the local affiliate of the National Alliance For The Mentally Ill. Our organization was founded by family members
to improve the lives of persons living with brain disorders.
Founded in 1979, NAMI has over 208,000 members
in 1200 affiliates throughout the U.S. and Canada. NAMI Orange County is one of 31 local affiliates of NAMI North Carolina.
No one dealing with mental illness needs to manage alone. If you have a mental illness or have a loved one
who has, it is important to have a supportive and understanding organization to help.
As a member of NAMI Orange County,
you will share with others and obtain personal support for care giving and self help, guidance toward hospitalization, if
needed, and guidance toward professional help. You will be part of efforts to advocate for legislative action toward benefits
and services for the mentally ill, the end of discrimination in insurance, housing, and employment, public awareness of the
high incidence of mental illness and awareness of how treatable these illnesses are when diagnosed, elimination of the stigma
of mental illness, and the need to regard the mentally ill with dignity and respect. You will learn about mental illnesses,
which are brain disorders, various treatment options which are available, the current state of public support structures and
the level of public funding, and how to live with mental illness on a day-to-day basis.
NAMI Orange County is the
local affiliate of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), a national nonprofit organization, and NAMI North Carolina.
We share the same mission: support, education, and advocacy on behalf of individuals with severe mental illness and their
families. Our membership consists primarily of family members of persons with mental illness plus those who support our mission.
Anyone is welcome to join.
Monthly Support and Program Meetings
Except for July, August and December, we meet the second Saturday of each month at the Church of Reconciliation
at 110 North Elliot Road in Chapel Hill. (During July, August and December we have potluck dinners.) Our Open Support
Group meets from 9:30-10:15 in a private room. At the same time in the meeting room we enjoy refreshments, fellowship
and discussion. From 10:30-11:30 our program is educational in nature, and most often features a speaker.
We also sponsor social events. Family to Family, a comprehensive course for family members of persons with
mental illness, is offered as needed in the Spring and Fall.
When you join NAMI Orange County, you will automatically
become a member of NAMI North Carolina and NAMI, and receive newsletters, legislative updates, and other materials about local,
state and national activities.
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