The Treatment Advocacy Center is the only national nonprofit focused exclusively on eliminating legal and other barriers to treatment for people with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  

Recent media releases

• Congress Still Has a Viable Path to Reducing Violence  (April 18, 2013)
• Treatment Advocacy Center Unveils Federal Policy Agenda to Improve Mental Illness Treatment Options (Jan. 8, 2013)
• Treatment Advocacy Center Calls for Two Improvements to Mental Illness Treatment Laws  (Dec. 20, 2012)

• Connecticut mental illness treatment laws; new reports raise issues about state civil commitment laws  (Dec. 19, 2012)

• Ohioan Dr. Mark Munetz Wins National Advocacy Award (Oct. 25, 2012)
• Tennessean Karen Easter Wins National Advocacy Award (Oct. 23, 2012)
• Colorado law made it possible for court to order psychiatric evaluation of James Holmes before Aurora shootings (Aug. 2, 2012)
• Resources from the Treatment Advocacy Center as the rampage murders in Colorado raise questions about the connection of mental illness and violence (July 20, 2012)
• State hospital bed numbers plunge to 1850 levels, profounding impacting patients, jails, emergency rooms and public safety (July 19, 2012)

• New video about unawareness of mental illness released to mark mental health awareness month (May 4, 2012)

• Doris A. Fuller named Treatment Advocacy Center executive director (April 3, 2012)
• Department of Justice says court-ordered outpatient treatment for mental illness "works" to prevent crime and violence (March 27, 2012) 
• Treatment for Jared Loughner likely was doomed by new public policies, according to book released this week (Jan. 5, 2012)
• Man convicted of murdering Arizona police officer ordered freed; judge rules evidence of mental illness was not properly presented (Dec. 22, 2011)
• Incidents involving mental illness are creating public and police safety issues, senior law enforcements officials say (Dec. 20, 2011) 
• Ten years after murders: Law meant to prevent tragedies remains overlooked and unused (Jan. 4, 2010)

Topics on which the Treatment Advocacy Center provides information and comment to media

• Mental health treatment laws, by state including Kendra's Law in New York and Laura's Law in California. (Use the drop-down menu on the state map that appears on every page to select a state.)
• Civil commitment laws and standards for inpatient or outpatient treatment, by state
• Benefits of treatment for severe mental illness
• Consequences of non-treatment , including research data on specific consequences 
• Assisted outpatient treatment /court-ordered community-based treatment and its role in addressing severe mental illness
• Anosognosia/lack of insight and how it impacts treatment of mental illness

Resources the Treatment Advocacy makes available to media

• Interviews with legal advocacy specialists for all states 
• Interviews with psychiatrists or other experts, including E. Fuller Torrey, MD, who has been called "schizophrenia's most zealous foe" 
• Introductions to local experts, activists and individuals with mental illness 
• Introductions to family members with loved ones who have been either victims or perpetrators of violent acts in which untreated mental illness was a factor (see also our Preventable Tragedies Database)  

Reports and studies available on the website, among others 

• "No Room at the Inn: Trends and Consequences of Closing Public Psychiatric Hospitals 2005-2010" plus a 50-state table of hospital bed populations (July 2012) 
• "The Impact of Mental Illness on Law Enforcement Resources" (December 2011) 
• "More Mentally Ill Persons are in Jails and Prisons than Hospitals: A Survey of the States" plus a 50-state table of jail/prison populations (May 2010) 
• “People with Mental Illnesses May Pose a Greater Threat to the Future of Libraries than the Internet” (March/April 2009) 
• “The Shortage of Public Hospital Beds for Mentally Ill Persons” (March 2008) 
• “Threats to Radio and TV Personnel in the US by Individuals with Severe Mental Illnesses”  

Background and other information 

• Our mission statement and acitivities
• Our staff and board of directors 

MEDIA CONTACT

Jamie Mondics
Communications Director
Treatment Advocacy Center
200 N. Glebe Road, Ste. 730
Arlington VA 22203
OFFICE:703-294-6003; MOBILE: 215-439-8512

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it