In April 1979, six independent support groups

for parents of adults with severe and

persistent mental illnesses from around the

country joined forces in Madison, Wisconsin,

to hold the first conference of the National

Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Attendance for

this historic meeting was 284. As NAMI has

evolved, interest and membership has

extended beyond parents to include spouses,

siblings, children and friends of people with

mental illness as well as a number of mental

health care professionals. Most recently, a

growing number of mental health care

consumers have become active members of

NAMI. NAMI currently has more than 200,000

members in 1,200 affiliates across the

country.