WISCONSIN UNITED
for MENTAL HEALTH

What is Wisconsin United for Mental Health?

Wisconsin United for Mental Health (WUMH) is a coalition of Wisconsin citizens who share a dream of a society in which people are not labeled or judged as lesser or unworthy on the basis of health diagnosis. The coalition is committed to working in unity for the purpose of eliminating the stigma of mental illnesses. WUMH recognizes the strength of a small group of committed citizens and works primarily to identify and develop opportunities to teach people that mental illnesses are real, common and treatable.

Who is Wisconsin United for Mental Health?

This coalition of Wisconsin citizens includes people who are professionals in the mental health field, people whose lives have been touched by mental illness whether themselves or a family member, mental health advocates, and others who are simply willing to invest their time and talents toward making lives better.

Why does Wisconsin United for Mental Health exist?

Mental illness touches all our lives, either directly or indirectly through family members, friends, colleagues or members of the community. Mental illness is a term for a vast array and diverse scope of disorders that may range from mild impairment in quality of life to devastating disorders of a severe and persistent nature. Stigma results from the biased and inaccurate information about people with mental illnesses; people and the illnesses are often portrayed inaccurately in the media. The result is fear of diagnosis, which leads to lack of assessment, diagnosis and treatment.

How does WUMH function?

A Steering Committee leads the coalition and knows that their work won’t be easy. The Committee operates from a bond forged by a shared dream and engages comfortably in productive ideological conflict. This group of citizens recognizes and accepts the ambiguities and challenges of working as a diverse coalition devoted to tackling an issue of this magnitude.

Where is Wisconsin United for Mental Health?

The WUMH website can be found at: www.wimentalhealth.org

• Fact Sheet - a one page .pdf with general information about WUMH and statistics on mental illnesses; updated August 2008
  
• Mental Health  - an eight page color .pdf with in-depth information on mental health, mental illnesses, suicide, and recovery