Integrative Mental Health Resource Launched

Consumers, mental healthcare professionals, researchers and public health advocates can now access comprehensive information on all aspects of integrative mental healthcare via a new Web site launched by the International Network of Integrative Mental Health (INIMH).

INIMH was established to provide a global resource for research, education and practice in the field of evidence-based, "whole person" mental health care.

Statistics indicate that people are increasingly turning to non-traditional resources for help with a vast array of health and mental health conditions, often combining non-traditional therapies with mainstream medical treatments.

Health care providers who use and rely on conventional approaches such as prescribed medications and psychotherapy are also incorporating evidence-based, non-traditional therapeutics such as acupuncture, herbal and nutritional medicine, dietary modifications, meditations and spirituality in their practice.

Yet until now, there has been no comprehensive source of information for health care professionals or the public on how to improve their mental health through the use of conventional and non-conventional interventions.

There is growing evidence that healthcare providers and patients believe that both conventional and non-conventional therapies are legitimate treatment choices. However there is little agreement on how healthcare providers should recommend -- or patients should choose-safe, evidence-based, non-conventional or integrative treatment strategies to address mental health needs.

Through the establishment of their organization, members of INIMH will grow a global network of social and professional support for the integrative mental health care community while providing a vital source of reliable information for the public. The INIMH board is comprised of mental health experts including physicians, complementary and alternative practitioners, and academic and public health advocates from several nations who are committed to building a worldwide network dedicated to the transformation of mental healthcare through integrative practice.

The organization's groundbreaking Web site (http://www.inimh.org) offers clinicians, researchers and consumers easy online access to a comprehensive, searchable library on all areas of integrative mental healthcare, as well as expert-hosted forums, links to additional resources and networking connections between healthcare practitioners and the public.

INIMH members include physicians, therapists, researchers and many other healthcare professionals who are united in their commitment to "whole person" healthcare, taking an integrative approach to the biological, psychological, and sociological components of mental illness.

Members of INIMH are committed to creating a more balanced, more inclusive and more compassionate model for mental health care around the globe.

For more information, visit INIMH on the web at http://www.inimh.org. To arrange interviews, contact Carol L. Veizer, MA, NCC, ACS, LPC at 732-747-8118 or via email at clveizer5@comcast.net.

The establishment of the organization has been made possible by a generous grant from the Ted and Roberta Mann Foundation, a longstanding champion of health care reform.