NAMI-San Francisco is one of more than 1,000 local affiliates of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, known by its acronym NAMI.

NAMI-San Francisco can connect you to a network of families just like yours. We too have had someone we love diagnosed with a debilitating brain disorder. And we understand what it is you're going through.

A few things to keep in mind . . .

WHO?
One family in four has a member suffering a mental illness. In any given year, five million adults and seven-and-a-half million children in America experience mental illness regardless of age, ethnic background and social status.

WHAT?
Mental illnesses are biological brain disorders and include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and personality disorder.

WHERE?
The occurrence of mental illness is uniform in countries worldwide. In San Francisco, the county's mental health services treat about 20,000 people each year while many others have private insurance and countless more go untreated entirely.

WHEN?
Brain disorders can affect people at any age - children, adolescents, adults and the elderly. Children are often misdiagnosed, but suffer the same illnesses. Schizophrenia often strikes during adolescence.

WHY?
Mental illness is treatable.