Mental Health & Addiction Resources

Al-Anon is a program to help the families of alcoholics recover from the effects of someone else’s drinking. In Al-Anon and Alateen, members share their own experience, strength, and hope with each other. Meetings are confidential, and these support groups do not disclose whom they see or what they hear at meetings to anyone.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other in order to help solve their common problem of alcoholism. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about their drinking problem.

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a global, community-based organization with a multi-lingual and multicultural membership. NA membership is free, and they offer recovery from the effects of addiction through working a twelve-step program, including regular attendance at group meetings. The name of the organization is not meant to imply a focus on any particular drug; NA’s appr

OASAS's mission is to improve the lives of New Yorkers by leading a comprehensive system of addiction services for prevention, treatment, and recovery.

SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.

100Pedals helps parents navigate the difficulties of a child's substance abuse disorder.

The National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) is a nonprofit professional society that represents hundreds of not-for-profit and for-profit addiction treatment providers who offer critical services along the full continuum of care, from intervention, transportation, private therapy, outpatient care, hospitalization, residential treatment, and continuing/aftercare.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIAAA supports and conducts research on the impact of alcohol use on human health and well-being. It is the largest funder of alcohol research in the world.

Visit the below websites to learn more about these local addiction crisis centers:

• New Horizons Alcohol and Chemical Dependency Treatment Center (Binghamton, NY)
• Fairview Recovery Services (Binghamton, NY)
• Rescue Mission of Utica (Utica, NY)

The Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc (MHANYS) is a not-for-profit organization that works to end the stigma against mental illness and promotes mental health wellness in New York State. MHANYS achieves this through training, education, advocacy and policy, community-based partnership programming, and by connecting individuals and families to help.

Mental Health America (MHA) is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and promoting the overall mental health of all.

NAMI-NYS is the state organization of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots organization for people with mental illness and their families. NAMI-NYS provides support to family and friends of individuals with mental illness and persons living with mental illnesses through more than 50 affiliates statewide.

The mission of the New York State (NYS) Office of Mental Health (OMH) is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a particular focus on providing hope and recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Visit NYS OMH's A to Z index for an alphabetized list of resources.

The NYS OMH publishes their OMH newsletter for people served by, working, involved, or interested in New York State's mental health programs, and their 988 newsletter which provides updates, education, and information about 988, the new 3-digit behavioral health crisis hotline. Read their latest newsletters on their website.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) enhances the health and well-being of all Americans by providing for effective health and human services, and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.

WHO, as the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations system, adheres to the UN values of integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity. WHO works worldwide to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.

Rehabilitation Support Services, Inc. (RSS) strives to enrich and empower the lives of individuals by providing services and opportunities for meaningful emotional, social, vocational, and educational growth.

RSS also sponsors the Warm Line, a telephone support program that provides confidential peer self-help. This is meant to be "a place to call when you want to talk."

The Mobile Crisis Assessment Team (MCAT) is a contracting partnership of the Neighborhood Center, Inc. and the Oneida, Herkimer, Schoharie, Otsego, Delaware, and Chenango County Departments of Mental Health, working collaboratively with a number of community agencies and resources. They take referrals from individuals in crisis, their families, law enforcement, school personnel, and the general community.

MCAT is available 24/7 at no cost and to anyone seeking crisis intervention services in Oneida, Herkimer, Schoharie, Otsego, Delaware, and Chenango counties.

The attorney general is the top legal officer in their state or territory. They advise and represent their legislature and state agencies and act as the “People’s Lawyer” for the citizens.

Visit the NYS Attorney General's website for legal resources, including help in finding an attorney, filing a complaint, answers to frequently asked questions, and more.

A district attorney (DA) is a county's chief prosecutor. They are an elected lawyer chosen to represent the state government in local criminal cases. DAs have the power to choose which charges are filed against an accused individual. When an arrest is made, the DA's office can either prosecute the case, divert the accused to a program or drug treatment, or dismiss the case altogether.

Visit the New York Prosecutors Training Institute (NYPTI) website view a map of NYS district attorneys, and click on your county to get your DAs information.

NYS's mental health courts seek to improve safety, court operations, and the well-being of individuals living with a mental illness by linking them with court-supervised, community-based treatment. Visit NYCourts.gov to find mental health court locations.

NYS's drug treatment courts offer court intervention in cooperation with the defense, prosecution, treatment, education, and law enforcement. This allows qualifying non-violent offenders with substance abuse disorders to be given the option of voluntarily entering a court-supervised treatment center. Visit NYCourts.gov to find drug treatment court locations.

NYS's veterans' treatment courts are located within an existing drug treatment or mental health court. These courts provide veteran-defendants who are suffering from a substance abuse disorder, a mental health diagnosis, and/or co-occurring disorders with links to community-based services, as well as to local, state, and federal agencies specializing in veterans' affairs. Visit NYCourts.gov to find veterans court locations.

City, town, and village courts (collectively called justice courts) have jurisdiction over a range of legal matters, including small claims, evictions, vehicle and traffic laws, civil matters, and criminal offenses.

Visit NYCourts.gov to find a court. You can search by county and/or court type.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education, and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death.

AFSP is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. Visit their website to learn more, get help, or find support if you're having thoughts of suicide, healing after surviving an attempt, worried that someone you know might be at risk, or need help finding resources after you've lost someone to suicide.

Learn more about suicide prevention from the CDC, including fast facts, prevention strategies, and the CDC's suicide prevention strategic plan.

The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) is the nation’s public-private partnership for suicide prevention. They work with more than 250 national partners to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. 

The Action Alliance's current priority areas include transforming health systems, transforming communities, and changing the conversation.

The NYS Division of Veterans’ Services advocates on behalf of New York’s veterans and their families, as individuals and as a group, to ensure they receive benefits granted by law for service in the United States Armed Forces.

Visit their website to learn more, including where to get help if you are a veteran in crisis.

The mission of the NYS Office of Mental Health is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a particular focus on providing hope and recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances.

Visit the NYS Office of Mental Health suicide prevention webpage to learn about what NYS is doing to prevent suicide, including trainings, promotion of the Zero Suicide initiative, and more.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) is the only federally supported resource center devoted to advancing the implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.

Visit SPRC's New York webpage for a list of resources, including a link to NYS's suicide prevention website, the current director of NYS's suicide prevention center, state and community resources, and more.

The American Legion is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow servicemembers and veterans.

Visit their suicide prevention webpage for the veterans crisis line, which includes an online chat, text line, and phone number.

Typically, there isn’t one particular reason an individual develops a mental illness – it’s usually a combination of factors, which may include:

• Inherited traits or genes
• Exposure to environmental stressors before birth
• Psychological or emotional problems brought on by major life changes and/or events

Some common signs and symptoms of mental illness include:

It is also important to keep in mind that these indicators may vary depending on the illness, age of the affected individual, and/or other environmental conditions.

If you think you or a loved one is living with a mental illness, you should contact your primary care practitioner as soon as possible for an official diagnosis.

Yes, this statistic is cited by the National Institute of Mental Health and is taken from: Conwell Y, Brent D. Suicide and aging I: patterns of psychiatric diagnosis. International Psychogeriatrics, 1995; 7(2): 149-64.

There are many organizations that offer suicide prevention resources. Some good starting point organizations include the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness and their families. NAMI is represented in every state and in over 1100 local communities across the country. NAMI achieves its mission of eradicating mental illnesses and improving the quality of life of all whose lives are affected by these diseases through advocacy, research, support, and education.

Contact the NAMI HelpLine to find a chapter near you, for volunteer opportunities, or for more information about the organization.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has also created a page to help caregivers care for themselves. Learn about their tips for taking care of yourself, including understanding how stress affects you, protecting your physical health, recharging when needed, and practicing good mental habits.