NAMI Sonoma County

03/20/2026

NAMI has released Navigating the Criminal Justice System: A NAMI resource for people with mental illness and their families.
This resource guide was created to help people with mental illness and their families better understand what to expect — from arrest through prosecution, incarceration, and community re-entry — and how to navigate each stage.
Download the guide at nami.org/CJGuide

NAMI has released Navigating the Criminal Justice System: A NAMI resource for people with mental illness and their families.

This resource guide was created to help people with mental illness and their families better understand what to expect — from arrest through prosecution, incarceration, and community re-entry — and how to navigate each stage.

Download the guide at nami.org/CJGuide

03/19/2026

Did you know that there are long-acting injectable (LAI) treatment options for schizophrenia that do not require a daily pill schedule? Learn more about LAIs and how they may be an appropriate part of comprehensive care: https://namisonomacounty.org/about-lais/

03/19/2026

Your grief is a reflection of your love. We want you to know it’s okay to grieve deeply, to feel everything you feel, and to take the time you need. 🌿💛

03/18/2026

“The best thing I ever did was get educated on what my loved one was going through.”

There are still a few spots left for NAMI Family & Friends -- a free, 90-minute presentation (with time for Q&A after) for family members supporting someone with a mental health condition. This informative program gives you the essentials of what to know, who to call, and how to navigate the daily challenges. Join us on Saturday, April 11, 10 AM - 12 PM in person. Register at namisoco.org/familyfriends.

03/18/2026

At NAMI, we embrace the voices of lived experience while using numbers to illustrate the broader impact of mental health conditions on individuals, families, and communities.
It's important to remember that every number represents unique stories from people navigating their mental health journeys.
Whether you are a person with lived experience who wants to see yourself in the data, a student researching mental health conditions, or just someone who wants to learn more, NAMI’s Mental Health By The Numbers is here to help: nami.org/mhstats

At NAMI, we embrace the voices of lived experience while using numbers to illustrate the broader impact of mental health conditions on individuals, families, and communities.

It's important to remember that every number represents unique stories from people navigating their mental health journeys.

Whether you are a person with lived experience who wants to see yourself in the data, a student researching mental health conditions, or just someone who wants to learn more, NAMI’s Mental Health By The Numbers is here to help: nami.org/mhstats

03/17/2026

Mark your calendars -- NAMIWalks Sonoma County is back (and just seven months away)! Join us on Saturday, October 17, 2026 at Howarth Park for our fourth year of fun, music, community, and hope! Sign up at namiwalks.org/sonomacounty.

03/17/2026

Thank you to Face to Face Sonoma County for doing such important work for our community. Learn about their harm reduction and naloxone distribution services.

For years, prevention specialists with Face to Face have given harm reduction tools to keep clients safe, including the overdose reversal medication, naloxone. The numbers show that outreach is sav…

Read more below

03/16/2026

🌡️☀️ It's getting hot out there, Sonoma County! — ¡Hace calor ahí fuera, Condado de Sonoma!🌡️☀️
[En español abajo]
Wherever you are this week, practice heat safety. Heat related deaths are preventable. Heat related injuries are preventable. Know the symptoms, check on family and neighbors and take precautions.
• Job Sites: Stay hydrated and take breaks in the shade as often as possible.
• Indoors: Check on the elderly, sick and those without AC.
• Vehicles: NEVER leave kids or pets unattended – look before you lock!
• Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
👉 Learn more at SoCoEmergency.org
~
Estés donde estés esta semana, toma medidas de seguridad contra el calor. Las muertes por calor se pueden prevenir. Las lesiones por calor se pueden prevenir. Infórmate sobre los síntomas, mantente al tanto de tus familiares y vecinos y toma las precauciones necesarias.
• En su lugar de trabajo: manténgase hidratado y tome descansos a la sombra con la mayor frecuencia posible.
• En recintos cerrados: vigile a los ancianos, a los enfermos y aquéllos quer no tengan aire acondicionado.
• Dentro de vehículos: JAMÁS deje a los niños o las mascotas solos dentro de un vehículo; ¡fíjese en el interior del vehículo antes de cerrarlo!
• Al aire libre: limite las actividades fatigosas al aire libre, quédese a la sombra y manténgase hidratado.
👉 Más información en SoCoEmergencia.org (Traducción de DeepL)
Sonoma County Department of Health Services

03/16/2026

"Involuntary mental health holds, or 5150s, have been one way to ensure someone in crisis gets help. Under a legal cloud, law enforcement’s shifting stance is upending the practice."

Involuntary mental health holds have been one option to ensure someone in crisis, and deemed a danger to themselves, gets help. But increasingly, local police are refusing to carry out those holds.

Read more below

03/13/2026

Do you know about our local mobile crisis response teams? The Sonoma County Mobile Support Team (MST), along with inRESPONSE in Santa Rosa and SAFE in southern Sonoma County, provides mental health-first support to anyone experiencing a mental health, substance use, or suicide-related crisis. Help is available 24/7 and county-wide. Learn more at https://sonomacounty.gov/health-and-human-services/health-services/divisions/behavioral-health/services/crisis-services/mobile-crisis-services

03/12/2026

Catatonia is often misunderstood — and frequently misdiagnosed.
Though historically associated with schizophrenia, catatonia can occur alongside many mental and medical conditions, including bipolar disorder, depression, autism and neurological illnesses such as autoimmune encephalitis. When it isn’t recognized, individuals may receive treatments that don’t help — even though effective treatments exist.
Join NAMI for Ask the Expert: An Overview of Catatonia with Scott R. Beach, MD, psychiatrist at General Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Medical School.
This session will explore how catatonia presents, why it is commonly missed and the treatments that can help.
Thursday, March 19, 2026
1:00-2:30 PM PT
Register today:
https://nami-org.zoom.us/.../WN_RjGwfa6ESmeNdxBYfKmi8w

Catatonia is often misunderstood — and frequently misdiagnosed.

Though historically associated with schizophrenia, catatonia can occur alongside many mental and medical conditions, including bipolar disorder, depression, autism and neurological illnesses such as autoimmune encephalitis. When it isn’t recognized, individuals may receive treatments that don’t help — even though effective treatments exist.

Join NAMI for Ask the Expert: An Overview of Catatonia with Scott R. Beach, MD, psychiatrist at General Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Medical School.

This session will explore how catatonia presents, why it is commonly missed and the treatments that can help.

Thursday, March 19, 2026
4:00–5:30 p.m. ET

Register today:
https://nami-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RjGwfa6ESmeNdxBYfKmi8w

03/11/2026

NAMI believes that people with mental illness should be diverted from the criminal justice system and connected to mental health care at every opportunity. In recognition of National Criminal Justice Month, we released a new publication that highlights state legislation from 2025 addressing this problem.
The mental health crisis in the criminal justice system has led to communities searching for ways to reduce criminal justice system involvement and increase investments in mental health care. NAMI’s Trends in Mental Health and Criminal Justice State Policy shows how state policymakers and advocates can address this problem.
This issue brief offers state legislators and advocates policy recommendations and examples of legislation that supports individuals with mental health conditions who are at risk of being or are justice system-involved. Many of the new state laws in this brief were championed by NAMI State Organizations and their advocates.
Find the brief at https://bit.ly/4ukMI3z

NAMI believes that people with mental illness should be diverted from the criminal justice system and connected to mental health care at every opportunity. In recognition of National Criminal Justice Month, we released a new publication that highlights state legislation from 2025 addressing this problem.

The mental health crisis in the criminal justice system has led to communities searching for ways to reduce criminal justice system involvement and increase investments in mental health care. NAMI’s Trends in Mental Health and Criminal Justice State Policy shows how state policymakers and advocates can address this problem.

This issue brief offers state legislators and advocates policy recommendations and examples of legislation that supports individuals with mental health conditions who are at risk of being or are justice system-involved. Many of the new state laws in this brief were championed by NAMI State Organizations and their advocates.

Find the brief at https://bit.ly/4ukMI3z