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National Estimates for Mental Health Mutual Support Groups, Self-Help Organizations, and Consumer-Operated Services

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Abstract

The authors report on a 2002 national survey of mental health mutual support groups (MSG) and self-help organizations (SHO) run by and for mental health consumers and/or family members, and consumer-operated services (COS). They found 7467 of these groups and organizations—3315 MSGs, 3019 SHOs, and 1133 COSs—greatly eclipsing the number of traditional mental health organizations (4546). MSGs reported that 41,363 people attended their last meetings. SHOs reported a total of 1,005,400 members. COSs reported serving 534,551 clients/members in 1 year. The array of services and supports provided within each of these types (MSG, SHO, COS) is reported, and implications for the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health recommendations are explicated.

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Notes

  1. Although persons who use or have used mental health services refer to themselves in various terms (e.g., mental health consumer, psychiatric survivor, ex-patient, client, and recipient), for consistency throughout this paper, the term “consumer” will be used.

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Acknowledgment

The authors wish to specially thank Paolo del Vecchio, Risa Fox, Crystal Blyler, and Neal Brown, CMHS, Lisa Famularo (formerly with TNS), and Marie Verna (formerly with the National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse) for their on-going assistance with the CMHS Survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social Science Analyst, Survey and Analysis Branch, Division of State and Community Systems Development, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, USA

    Ingrid D. Goldstrom

  2. Missouri Institute of Mental Health, University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA

    Jean Campbell

  3. President and Chief Executive Officer, Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Joseph A. Rogers

  4. TNS, Horsham, PA, USA

    David B. Lambert

  5. Research Analyst, Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington, Virginia, USA

    Beatrice Blacklow

  6. Assistant Branch Chief (Retired) and Branch Chief Survey and Analysis Branch, Division of State and Community Systems Development, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, USA

    Marilyn J. Henderson & Ronald W. Manderscheid

  7. Ingrid Goldstrom, Center for Mental Health Services, 1 Choke Cherry Road, Room 2-1081, Rockville, MD, 20857, USA

    Ingrid D. Goldstrom

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  1. Ingrid D. Goldstrom
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  2. Jean Campbell
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Correspondence to Ingrid D. Goldstrom.

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Goldstrom, I., Campbell, J., Rogers, J. et al. National Estimates for Mental Health Mutual Support Groups, Self-Help Organizations, and Consumer-Operated Services. Adm Policy Ment Health 33, 92–103 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-005-0019-x

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