This year marks the 30th anniversary of the inception of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, or NAMI.
NAMI's mission is to educate teachers, parents and loved ones how to recognize the signs of mental illness and provide support while also improving the lives of those with mental illnesses. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the local nonprofit chapter will host its ninth annual charity walk in late September.
"It is pretty amazing that 30 years ago there was already people who were very cognizant of [mental health]," NAMI Austin Executive Director Karen Ranus said. "The majority of them were really parents—parents who were struggling and trying to navigate their way through a very complex system and wanting to take care of their sons and their daughters."
Ranus said a mental illness should not be judged differently than having a physical illness, although society has not yet embraced that way of thinking.
"Like diabetes affects our pancreas, mental illnesses affect the way we think, act and behave," she said. "Those [processes] are so integrated into who we are as people that sometimes it's hard to distinguish the mental illness from the person."
NAMI's Austin walk, which takes place at 9 a.m. September 27, has become a cornerstone for the organization because it serves as the group's primary funding source. The event also aims to help spread awareness of NAMI's efforts—approximately one of every four Americans will be affected by some kind of mental illness—and the need to rid society of some misconceptions surrounding mental illness, Ranus said.
"The reality is that most of us are affected by mental illness," she said. "We may not be cognizant of it or we may not be in a place where we're comfortable talking about it, but the reality is that if the numbers are one in four, those people are in our work places, our neighborhoods, in our faith communities, in our schools."
The goal for this year's walk is to raise $250,000. So far Ranus said NAMI Austin is on track to meet its target. Teams that sign up to walk are in charge of raising money to meet that goal.
There will be tents at the walk featuring activities, including a pet tent. Pets can be very important in the recovery process for those with mental health issues, Ranus said.
Ranus said attendance at a recent weeknight dinner time meeting showed there is a desire in the community to learn more about helping those with mental illnesses.
"As a community we need to stand in solidarity together and say it's time to end the silence around mental illness," Ranus said. "We need to start talking about it. We need to feel comfortable to say, 'I'm a person with mental illness.'"
National Alliance for Mental Illness, 4110 Guadalupe St., 512-420-9810, www.namiaustin.org
