MONTGOMERY—Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Commissioner Kathy Sawyer wants to make all Alabamians aware of two national health observances that occur in May. “May is National Mental Health Month, as well as National Family Month,” Sawyer said. “We believe it is critically important to educate Alabama families about mental health issues.”

“Current statistics indicate that one in five Alabama families will be touched by mental illness at some point in their lives,” Sawyer said. “The so-called ‘baby boom’ generation will likely be dealing with geriatric mental health issues involving their aging parents, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, new research into children’s mental health by former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher indicates that one in ten American children may have some form of mental disorder.”

Last year, the DMH/MR served over 207,000 Alabamians with mental illness, mental retardation and substance abuse problems. A newly created Office of Children’s Services functions as a centralized division within the department for all DMH/MR child and adolescent services. Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa houses the department’s Bureau of Geriatric Psychiatry, which is headed by Dr. Richard Powers, a nationally recognized expert in the field. “Obviously, the Alabama DMH/MR provides an impressive array of age-appropriate services for anyone with mental illness, mental retardation and/or substance abuse problems,” Sawyer said. “We encourage Alabama families to educate themselves about mental health issues and to seek any needed treatment from the DMH/MR service delivery system.”

ON THE WEB:
Alabama Department of Mental Health & Mental Retardation
http://www.mh.state.al.us
(334) 242-3417

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
http://www.nami.org
(800) 950-6264

NAMI – Alabama Chapter
(800) 626-4199

Mental Health Consumers of Alabama
(800) 264-6422