To provide family support, education, enablement and advocacy on behalf of people with mental illness. To provide social, recreational and educational opportunities for people recovering from mental illness. To eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness and promote public awareness as to the facts about mental illness. Mental illnesses are as real as other physical illnesses - neurobiological disorders of the brain that affect the way people think, feel, behave and relate to others. Mental illness occurs in one in five families.
Mental illness can affect persons of any age - children, adolescents, adults and the elderly.
Mental illness is not the same as mental retardation or developmental disabilities. People with mental illness do not have a diminished intellectual capacity or a slower rate of learning. Rather, people with mental illness are generally of average or above average intelligence. While not curable , mental illnesses are treatable with medications and in conjunction with an array of psychosocial supports that enable people to live productive lives in the community. Schizophrenia is one of the most serious and disabling of the mental illnesses.