The Consumer Action Network (CAN) is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, professional peer advocacy program incorporated in the District of Columbia in February 2003. The organization’s mission is to empower mental health consumers by promoting recovery and self-advocacy.
"CAN’s Executive Team consists of Directors and Co-founders Effie Smith, Director of Advocacy/Program Development, and Mary Blake, (no longer with CAN) Director of Training/Communications. Both Directors have served on national and local boards and advisory groups, including SAMHSA’s National Anti-Stigma Campaign Work Committee, the DC Partnership Council, the National Center for Trauma-informed Care, and the State Mental Health Planning Council, among others. CAN is also a member of the newly formed National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations (NCMHCSO)."[1]
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Related Research Articles
Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group that aims to influence decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions. Advocacy can include many activities that a person or organization undertakes including media campaigns, public speaking, commissioning and publishing research or conducting exit poll or the filing of an amicus brief. Lobbying is a form of advocacy where a direct approach is made to legislators on an issue which plays a significant role in modern politics. Research has started to address how advocacy groups in the United States and Canada are using social media to facilitate civic engagement and collective action.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research.
The National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) is a nationwide grassroots advocacy group, representing people affected by mental illness in the United States. NAMI educates, supports, and advocates for people living with mental illnesses and their families. NAMI offers classes and trainings for people living with mental illnesses, their families, community members, and professionals. Many of these programs include Psychoeducation, most are free of cost, and the reach. NAMI's public education and community building events include Mental Illness Awareness Week and NAMIWalks.
Consumer organizations are advocacy groups that seek to protect people from corporate abuse like unsafe products, predatory lending, false advertising, astroturfing and pollution.
Alliance for Justice (AFJ) is a progressive judicial advocacy group in the United States. Founded in 1979 by current president Nan Aron, AFJ monitors federal judicial appointments. AFJ represents a coalition of 100 politically liberal groups that have an interest in the federal judiciary. The Alliance for Justice presents a liberal viewpoint on legal issues.
The Medical Library Association (MLA) is a nonprofit, educational organization with more than 4,000 health sciences information professional members and partners worldwide.
The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1968 to advance consumer interests through research, education and advocacy.
Peer support occurs when people provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other. It commonly refers to an initiative consisting of trained supporters, and can take a number of forms such as peer mentoring, reflective listening, or counseling. Peer support is also used to refer to initiatives where colleagues, members of self-help organizations and others meet, in person or online, as equals to give each other connection and support on a reciprocal basis.
The psychiatric survivors movement is a diverse association of individuals who either currently access mental health services, or who are survivors of interventions by psychiatry, or who are ex-patients of mental health services.
The Suicide Prevention Action Network USA is a 501(c)(3) organization that was founded in 1996 by Gerald and Elsie Weyrauch, whose 34-year-old daughter, Terri, died by suicide. SPAN USA is "dedicated to preventing suicide through public education and awareness, community action and federal, state and local grassroots advocacy."
William H. "Bill" Compton, Jr. was a mental health advocate in California who attained national stature. After suffering a mental health crisis in 1989, he became heavily involved in self-help and patients' rights advocacy issues. Between 1994 and 2007 he was the head of a large network of peer support groups.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), is a nonprofit 501c3 veterans organization founded by Paul Rieckhoff, an American writer, social entrepreneur, advocate, activist and veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. He served as an Army First Lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq from 2003 through 2004. Rieckhoff was released from the Army National Guard in 2007.
The National Empowerment Center (NEC) is an advocacy and peer-support organization in the United States that promotes an empowerment-based recovery model of mental disorders. It is run by consumers/survivors/ex-patients "in recovery" and is located in Lawrence, Massachusetts in Essex County.
The Global Health Council is a United States-based non-profit leading networking organization "supporting and connecting advocates, implementers and stakeholders around global health priorities worldwide". The Council is the world's largest membership alliance dedicated to advancing policies and programs that improve health around the world. The Council serves and represents thousands of public health professionals from over 150 countries across the globe. They work "to improve health globally through increased investment, robust policies and the power of the collective voice.": According to their website the Council "convenes stakeholders around key global health priorities and actively engages key decision makers to influence health policy."
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the psychiatric survivors movement:
David William Oaks is a civil rights activist and founder and former executive director of Eugene, Oregon-based MindFreedom International.
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention is an American suicide prevention organization coordinating national efforts to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP). It is a public/private partnership that, according to them, "catalyzes planning, implementation, and accountability for updating and advancing the NSSP. The Action Alliance works on the 2001 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and is an outgrowth of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. The Action Alliance initially focused on three high-risk populations; LGBT Youth, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Military/Veterans. Part of the group's campaign will be to educate on the warning signs of suicide, promoting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as well as community crisis clinics across the U.S.
Consumers United for Evidence-based Healthcare (CUE) is a coalition of health advocacy consumer groups interested in evidence-based healthcare. It was formed in 2003.
The Uganda National Health Users’/Consumers’ Organization or Uganda National Health Consumers' Organisation (UNHCO) is a Ugandan nonprofit organization established in 1999 to advocate for the realization of the right to health for all Ugandans.
