October 2004

Emergency Mental Health and Traumatic Stress, Disaster Mental Health Programs
CMHS disaster mental health programs are conducted by the Emergency Mental Health and Traumatic Stress Services Branch of the Federal Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS). In partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this Branch of CMHS is responsible for assessing, promoting, and enhancing the resilience of Americans in times of crisis. The Branch disseminates mental health information about disasters and traumatic events in print and on the Internet.

Mental Health, United States, 2002
Mental Health, United States, 2002 includes 21 chapters organized into six sections: Looking Back, Looking Forward; Supporting Good Decision-Making; Population Dynamics; Insurance for Mental Health Care; Status of Mental Health Services; and National Mental Health Statistics. Brief descriptions are provided below.

Evidence-Based Practices: Shaping Mental Health Services Toward Recovery
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and its Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) are pleased to introduce six Evidence-Based Practice Implementation Resource Kits to encourage the use of evidence-based practices in mental health. The Kits were developed as one of several SAMHSA/CMHS activities critical to its science-to-services strategy. We expect to identify additional practices for future Kits.

Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) Program Spotlight: Community Support Programs
The Community Support Programs of CMHS work with States, communities, and mental health consumers and their families to provide people who have mental illness with treatment and assistance in meeting basic needs such as housing, jobs, education, social services, transportation, and medical and nursing care. The Community Support Programs are designed to bridge the "knowledge" gap between identifying effective approaches to the delivery of mental health services and the "application" gap of putting those approaches into action in local communities.

National Domestic Violence Awareness Month - October 2004
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month is an annual observance sponsored by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. During this month, national, State, and community-based domestic violence prevention and victim service organizations, corporations, health care providers, faith-based groups, public agencies, and other organizations will highlight activities that mark the observance with recognition ceremonies, memorial activities, public education campaigns, community outreach events, news conferences, and more.

Mental Illness Awareness Week - October 3-9, 2004
Mental Illness Awareness Week is an annual national observance that a 1986 presidential proclamation created to recognize “the urgent need to educate the American public about mental illnesses and their treatments.” This year’s theme, “Unity Through Diversity,” continues to reflect that goal as contained in the vision of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health—to foster a mental health care system that reflects the rich diversity of our Nation and encourages real possibilities of reclaimed lives for all people with mental illness, in communities across the country.

National Depression Screening Day - October 7, 2004
National Depression Screening Day is observed each October along with Mental Illness Awareness Week. This national observance focuses attention on depression and other mood disorders, including bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The goals of this observance are to educate the public and clinicians about the symptoms and effective treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, to offer individuals opportunities to be screened for these disorders, and to connect individuals in need of treatment with appropriate mental health care services.

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