Advocacy Groups Benefits

The advocacy movement has provided a mechanism for promoting cooperation, affirmation, and inspiration among patients and families of virtually all cultures and communities. For example, 10 years ago, pertinent information regarding side effects of antipsychotic medications was virtually unknown. Today, the brochure "Facts About Tardive Dyskinesia," written and distributed by advocacy groups, is often given to people diagnosed with schizophrenia. Such educational efforts not only help reassure patients, but strengthen their therapeutic alliance with clinicians.

Because serious mental disorders such as schizophrenia can be alienating, the importance of advocacy cannot be overemphasized. For example, one patient wrote the following:

"Social isolation has to be one of the worst experiences of schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia can have no friends, no spouse, and sometimes no family. Two-thirds of patients with schizophrenia return to their parent’s house after discharge from a hospital the first time. Family members generally receive very little education about what to expect. They may not even know the importance of medication compliance."

In addition to providing basic information about mental illness and treatment, educational efforts by advocacy groups have profoundly impacted the lives of patients and families by de-stigmatizing and demystifying mental illness, promoting a heightened sensitivity among the public, and fostering patient empowerment among those affected with mental illness. Finally, advocacy groups impact the lives of patients and their families every day through both large- and small-scale efforts, from lobbying at a national and local level to change policy, to such daily grassroots efforts as posting employment opportunities and organizing community programs.