http://www.samhsa.gov
        The substance abuse and mental health services administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its information resources guide gives links to general mental health and statistics, substance abuse and prevention, and publications on public health programs- http://www.samhsa.gov/look1.htm. Also, teenagers may find that the link to the Center for Mental Health Services, which is a service of SAMHSA, at http://www.mentalhealth.org/publications/allpubs/CA-0002/wtdbrc1.htm, is helpful. Titled “You and mental health…what’s the deal” is a page by page brochure specially geared toward high school students. There are questions and answers along with how to identify signs in friends who may need help and support.

        The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is also responsible for the National Institutes of Health at http://www.nih.gov/. By searching the database under “mental health”, reports, current research, the elderly, AIDS patients’, and thousands of additional documents are all available online regarding mental health issues.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
        The National Institute of Mental Health site has research fact sheets, mental disorder information, and has education programs on anxiety and depression. There is also a Women’s Mental Health Consortium at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/wmhc/index.cfm, which provides updated information regarding the differences between men and woman, as well as the objective of promoting better health for women and girls affected by mental illness.

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/index.html
        This site gives the first Surgeon General’s report on mental health. The report is made available to the public online and gives a phone number for those who would like to receive a copy of the Executive Summary. The report is broken down into eight chapters, including the fundamentals of mental health as well as visions for the future.

http://www.ahrq.gov/research/mentalix.htm
        The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality provides press releases, research activities, reference guides, clinical practical guidelines, workshop summaries, data and surveys, and articles from aging to substance abuse and addiction with respect to mental illness.

http://www.dmh.cahwnet.gov/
        The Department of Mental Health’s main page comes out of California. While there are some publications on this site, the majority of information would be most useful to those interested in the California system specifically. State hospitals and special programs within the state are listed, as well as mental health departments and divisions in other states. There is a map with links to all states in the U.S.

http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/get_facts.htm
        The South Carolina Department of Mental Health offers a “Get the Facts on Mental Illness” page with links to adolescent development, coping with stress, depression, and schizophrenia. As with many other sites, S.C. also participates in an anti-stigma campaign, and has a public service announcement and poster to view.

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/1999pres/991213a.html
        This HHS Fact Sheet, titled “The Department of Health and Human Services on Mental Health Issues”, labels various activities from utilizing modern developments in science to providing mental health information effectively through the federal government. There are also proposals for how these actions will be funded. These are all in support of the Clinton-Gore Administration’s commitment in improving public awareness of mental illness.

http://www.aoa.gov/aoa/eldractn/deprssn.html
        The Administration on Aging offers a section on ElderAction; these are action ideas for older persons and their families. This page presents information on identifying depression, along with the most common signs of depression and three forms of treatment.

http://www.metrokc.gov/dchs/mhd/miaw00.htm
        The Department of Community and Human Services (Mental Health, Chemical Abuse, and Dependency Services Division) of King County, Washington gives a proclamation to the beginning of Mental Illness Awareness Week with illness facts. The site also gives a telephone number and web site for a free booklet about clinical depression, and offers another link to an online screening test.

http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/orr/WKS-MH.htm
        The Administration for Children and Families, a department of Health and Human Services, has articles dealing with mental health issues, searchable through their web server and divided by categories. Family and Youth Services’ Bureaus to the Office of Refugee Resettlement are listed. The above site has many articles about the benefits of preventive mental health for people living in the Unites States who were originally from other countries. This is most suitable for those who are providing the assistance and offering resources to clients.

http://www.afterschool.gov/hsmental.html
        Afterschool.gov’s Health and Safety site offers a page on mental health with additional links for teachers to find materials from educational campaigns and/or get access to research.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/basbehav.cfm
        The National Institute of Mental Health presents the Basic Behavioral Science Research for Mental Health. The site has the Report of the National Advisory Mental Health Council about mental health issues regarding emotion and motivation, thought and communication, social networks, etc. Mental health and behavior is viewed through social, biological, and psychological aspects.

http://bookstore.gpo.gov/sb/sb-167.html
        The Government Printing Office lists books all about mental health at this site.

http://www.healthfinder.gov
        The United States government Healthfinder is a database designed to locate the latest government health news, and provide information on all the latest topics from anxiety to panic disorder. There is also an index to browse all health topics from a-z.
 
 

There are also several organizations located off the Healthfinder web page.

http://www.nmha.org/
        The National Mental Health Association is “dedicated to improving the mental health of all individuals and achieving victory over mental illness”. One of the site’s important functions is an online confidential depression screening test, as well as personal stories, symptoms and treatment, and additional sources of help. Http://www.depression-screening.org/ is a part of NMHA’s Campaign for America’s Mental Health.

http://www.nami.org/
        The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill offers a fact sheet on mental illness, and reveals the latest studies and reports on mental concerns throughout the United States. NAMI also has a campaign to end discrimination called StigmaBusters, which locates anything from television shows to commercials and various products that could be damaging to the fight against ending stereotypes in mental illness.

http://www.mentalhealth.org/cornerstone/index.cfm
        The "Mental Health: The Cornerstone of Health" site includes mental health information associated with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The site allows searching by psychological topics like abuse, bipolar disorder, dual diagnosis, phobias, and suicide, and highlights those topics through research findings and policy efforts. There is also the ability to search by agency and submit articles under numerous topics.
 
 

http://stripe.colorado.edu/~judy/depression/faq/index.html
        This site is a Frequently Asked Questions page on depression. Types of depression, symptoms, causes, treatments and medications are discussed. Also, there are sections on getting help and choosing doctors, self-care, and even books to read. Additionally, there are more Internet resources and news groups to choose from for extra help listed at the bottom of the page.

http://education.indiana.edu/cas/adol/mental.html
        From the Center for Adolescent Studies, the site contains mental health risk factors for adolescents. Stress, suicide, and support resources are given, as well as panic, eating, mood, conduct, and bipolar disorders. Short descriptions to each illness is given, and most topics are linked to further sites.

http://www.counsel.ufl.edu/CounselNet/cnetloneliness.htm
        The University of Florida Counseling Center offers a guide on dealing with loneliness. Here, the authors discuss the differences between loneliness and being alone, offer ways to change the depressing feelings by doing meaningful activities, and coping when discouraged.

http://www.unc.edu/depts/unc_caps/MStress.html
        Produced by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, this site gives students the “Ten Commandments of Managing Stress” for maintaining good mental health. This would be applicable to most people, too.
 
 

http://www.gov.on.ca/MOH/english/pub/mental/depression.html
        Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long Term Care site has a health facts section for mental health. The one listed above discusses depression, both bipolar and dysthymia, and treatments and help available.

http://www.mhc.govt.nz/publications_frameset.htm
        The Mental Health Commission in New Zealand lists online pdf viewable publications regarding discrimination against people with mental illness, intervention and prevention, and annual reports. Consumer and family opinions about government mental health services in New Zealand are listed, as well as the Mental Health Commission’s Recovery Series about families discussing their mental illness experiences.

http://www.dchs.tas.gov.au/services/mental_health/index.html
        Tasmania’s Mental Health Service page provides suicide information (reports, crisis support, and statistics), as well as general mental health information from facts, stigma, and standards. There is also information on a special Suicide Register Steering Committee established in response to “the complex problem of suicide in Tasmania”.

This site was developed as a project for a Government Documents class for the College of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina.  Please e-mail me at jenniferotto15@hotmail.com.

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