Mental Health America Launches
Online Support Community

Connects Families, Friends, and Caregivers in Safe, Secure Environment

Contact: Steve Vetzner, (703) 797-2588 or svetzner@mentalhealthamerica.net

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (July 26, 2010)-Mental Health America today announced it has launched the Mental Health America Support Community-a new online community that connects families, friends, and caregivers for support and inspiration.

The community has been created in partnership with Inspire, which works with nonprofits to provide safe, online health and wellness communities to help members live mentally healthier lives.

Located at http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/community, the community will allow registered members to take part in moderated discussion groups and post personal journals, enabling them to support one another through their individual journeys and experiences.

Those joining the community will find coping strategies and answers to their questions, as well as vital support, compassion, encouragement, and inspiration from others sharing experiences similar to theirs. Registration is free; upon joining, members will have complete control of their privacy options and can communicate with others in a safe, secure environment.

"We know how important social support and connecting with others are to protecting our mental health and improving well-being," said David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America. "This new community will allow more people to connect with each other, find valuable resources, and learn and gain inspiration from others."

Brian Loew, CEO of Inspire said: "We are pleased to partner with Mental Health America. Through their partnership with Inspire, we hope that Mental Health America will be able to reach even more people and provide a place to support living mentally healthier lives. Helping people find others who are also dealing with these issues fills an overwhelming need. Mental Health America is a trusted organization and champion of those trying to lead mentally healthy lives. We are pleased to welcome them to the Inspire family."

The Mental Health America Support Community features 20 discussion topics. Once they have registered, members can:

Read and participate in discussions
Post personal profiles - share as much or as little as they'd like about themselves
Post personal photos or videos
Invite other members to be friends
Create a personal journal (or "blog") where they can express their feelings and allow others to comment
Read others' journals to learn about their experiences

About Mental Health America

Mental Health America is the country's leading nonprofit dedicated to helping ALL people live mentally healthier lives. With a century of service and our more than 300 affiliates nationwide, we represent a growing movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well-being of the nation - everyday and in times of crisis.

About Inspire

Founded in 2005 and based in Princeton, NJ, Inspire builds and manages online health-focused communities in which patients, their caregivers, and their families can support and communicate with one another in a safe, secure, privacy-protected environment. By enabling those affected by medical conditions to seek out and help one another, we foster the creation of vibrant, effective, and close-knit social networks. To date, Inspire's 150,000+ members have written more than 1,000,000 posts and over 170 million words.

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