As it enters its 30th anniversary year, American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF) has joined the Mental Health Coalition, a group of leading mental health organizations, brands, and individuals who have come together to end the stigma surrounding mental health and to change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.

The mission of the Mental Health Coalition is to build a like-minded community who will work together to destigmatize all mental health disorders by changing the way people talk about, and care for, their mental health.

“Unaligned, each of our groups does important, positive work with its own audiences and constituencies. But in coalition, we bring these constituencies together and discover a power to be harnessed that can have a more widespread impact,” said APA Foundation Executive Director Rawle Andrews, Jr., Esq. “The Mental Health Coalition, with its reach into the corporate and entertainment communities, brings the expertise of mental health leaders like ourselves to a new front in the war on stigma, and will help us change peoples’ minds.”

As part of the Mental Health Coalition, APAF will actively work with other Coalition members to develop a strategy for fighting stigma, and assist in the creation of materials for its resource library, and contribute to their educational materials found in their knowledge bank.

To date, 34 of mental health organizations currently make up the Coalition, as well as 16 creative partners, among them iHeart Radio, the Ad Council and Kenneth Cole.

American Psychiatric Association Foundation

The American Psychiatric Association Foundation is the philanthropic and educational arm of APA. The APA Foundation promotes awareness of mental illnesses and the effectiveness of treatment, the importance of early intervention, access to care, and the need for high-quality services and treatment through a combination of public and professional education, research, research training, grants, and awards.

American Psychiatric Association

The American Psychiatric Association, founded in 1844, is the oldest medical association in the country. The APA is also the largest psychiatric association in the world with more than 37,400 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses. APA's vision is to ensure access to quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. For more information please visit www.psychiatry.org.