Psychiatric Disabilities/Mental Illness

This Community Living Brief addresses the issue of consumer/survivor–operated programs and how they have had a significant impact on the delivery of mental health services in this country. The central values of consumer-operated services (empowerment, choice, and to a growing extent, self-determination) now are recognized within the traditional mental health system. At a systems level, consumers/survivors have a formal and recognized voice in planning, implementation, and research.

The State of Michigan combined several funding sources in its contracts with local community mental health agencies, which serve people with developmental disabilities, mental illness, and addiction disorders. To ensure access and improve choice, the contracts require local agencies offer a wide array of services and use a person-centered planning process to determine a person’s service plan. In the first two years of using this model, access to services improved and costs were reduced.

The Department of Human Services administers, coordinates and serves as the state agency for all publicly financed services and programs, exclusive of health and housing needs, for the territory’s poor, disabled, juvenile delinquents, senior citizens and low income families with children.

The DHHR administers programs that benefit the citizens of West Virginia including: AIDS Program, Birth To Three, Children's Health Insurance (WVCHIP), Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), Family Planning, Immunization Program, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

This site provides information and links offered in seven languages on: Health Care, Disability Programs, Financial Assistance, Children's Services, Medicaid, Child Care & Working Families.

Health and Human Resources oversees twelve state agencies which provide important and vital services to Virginians with mental retardation, mental illness, substance abuse, physical disabilities, and to low-income working families.

The mission of the Vermont Agency of Human Services is to promote the highest level of independence for all individuals regardless of disability or disorder. Links provide information regarding: Alcohol and Drug Abuse; Developmental Disabilities; Mental Health; Human Services Center; Rehabilitation Services.

The Department of Human Services offers programs working with the elderly, substance abusers, people with disabilities, abused children, young offenders, the mentally ill, people who need assistance obtaining child support and others.

This site provides a comprehensive reference guide which provides information on over 225 health and human service programs provided by state agencies in Texas. The profile for each program contains contact information; program, service, and target population descriptions; basic eligibility criteria; authorizing statutes; and information on how Texans can apply for the program.

The Department is the state of Tennessee's mental health and developmental disabilities authority and is responsible for system planning, setting policy and quality standards, system monitoring and evaluation, disseminating public information and advocating for persons of all ages who have mental illness, serious emotional disturbance or developmental disability. The website offers information on services and where to find help.