Advocacy & Public Policy

People living with schizophrenia deserve effective treatment, access to comprehensive care and to be treated with respect and urgency. With proper treatment and support, many people with schizophrenia can achieve recovery. But this requires care that our siloed healthcare system does not often provide, and equitable access to services that many public policies do not support.

We advocate for laws and policies that address these realities:

The impact of schizophrenia is often devastating and chronically disabling.
Multiple barriers stand in the way of successful treatment.
More effective treatments with fewer side effects are urgently needed.
People with schizophrenia are not treated with urgency or understanding.

We call for specific action in the following areas:

Cannabis Use in Schizophrenia

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Provide Formal Support for Caregivers

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Compulsory Treatment

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Decriminalizing Schizophrenia

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Discrimination and Stigma

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Equitable Care for Diverse Communities

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The Need for One Coordinated System of Care

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HIPAA Should Not Block Family from Treatment Decisions

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Recovery and a Cure for Schizophrenia

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The voices of our community are critical to help us tell the stories of the discrimination people with this severe brain disease face every day. Join us to advocate for action – and help shatter barriers to treatment, survival and recovery.

Our Approach to Advocacy

We proudly advocate for the unmet needs of our community:

We speak up to represent the voices of our community:

We stand with coalitions aiming to remove barriers to treatment:

We are proud members of the American Brain Coalition and other consortia of patient-focused organizations aligned for systems-level change.

We provide expert perspectives and viewpoints:

We participated in a Center Forward-sponsored healthcare summit on the future of telehealth and health IT.

We go on the record and encourage policy makers to share our community's concerns through nonpartisan "sign on" outreach.

We express concerns about proposed policies that stand in the way of medication innovation for individuals impacted by schizophrenia.

Need for new prevalence surveys of people with schizophrenia

Saving money & lives: FY2024 Funding for study on the costs of serious mental illness

Advocacy Goals

Directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a multi-sectoral study to examine the cost impact of severe mental illnesses on the nation’s housing, health care, and penal systems while also conducting a system-wide epidemiologic study on schizophrenia and serious mental illness. This will update the first Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) program of research commissioned in 1977.

Significantly increasing the annual NIMH clinical research budget allocations for evidence-based studies with the best potential to improve outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia.

Reauthorizing the 21st Century Cures Act to include funding for priorities that serve individuals living with schizophrenia.

Establishing schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental, neurological medical condition.

Transforming the treatment paradigm to a whole person-focused model with an integrated team of psychiatrists, neurologists, and other providers.

Making incarceration and homelessness unacceptable outcomes for those living with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-related illnesses.

Replacing incarceration and homelessness with medical treatment, entitlements, and supportive housing with clinical services.

Eliminating the Medicaid Institution for Mental Disease (IMD) exclusion to increase available treatment beds.

Evaluating why there are differences in HIPAA implementation between physical health care (PHC) and behavioral health care (BHC) and evaluating the use of “responsible parties.”

Partnering with industry professionals to accelerate the promotion of clinical trials and recruitment.

Reducing misunderstanding and discrimination against those living with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-related illnesses through education and policy changes.

Promoting timely and appropriate diagnoses, treatments, peer support intervention, and education.

Advocacy & Public Policy

We call for specific action in the following areas:

Cannabis Use in Schizophrenia

Provide Formal Support for Caregivers

Compulsory Treatment

Decriminalizing Schizophrenia

Discrimination and Stigma

Equitable Care for Diverse Communities

The Need for One Coordinated System of Care

HIPAA Should Not Block Family from Treatment Decisions

Recovery and a Cure for Schizophrenia

Our Approach to Advocacy

We proudly advocate for the unmet needs of our community:

We speak up to represent the voices of our community:

We stand with coalitions aiming to remove barriers to treatment:

We provide expert perspectives and viewpoints:

We go on the record and encourage policy makers to share our community's concerns through nonpartisan "sign on" outreach.

We express concerns about proposed policies that stand in the way of medication innovation for individuals impacted by schizophrenia.

Need for new prevalence surveys of people with schizophrenia

Saving money & lives: FY2024 Funding for study on the costs of serious mental illness

Advocacy Goals

We’re celebrating caregivers– In the Name of Love

We’re celebrating caregivers–
In the Name of Love