The first NAMI legislative luncheon was held on April 1. NAMI members from all corners of the state, representing 11 NAMI affiliates, came to Olympia and met with representatives from 18 legislative districts.

Updated: Here's a summary of legislation related to mental health pending in the Washington Legislature in Olympia as of March 18, 2013. For the latest information on these and other bills, go to apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo.

You can review NAMI Washington's legislative agenda here.

The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention has released an ambitious national strategy to reduce the number of deaths by suicide.

An expanded board of directors, with new members and new officers, was installed at the annual meeting of NAMI Washington June 30. The meeting was held as part of the national NAMI convention in Seattle.

In the wake of the Cafe Racer shootings in Seattle, Farrell Adrian, the parent of an adult son with paranoid schizophrenia and president of NAMI Washington, writes about the heavy burden on families of people with mental illness.

We've posted new reports for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Outreach Partnership Program, in which NAMI Washington is a participant.

Individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder may be able to participate in a trial designed to understand the causes of depression and rapid antidepressant response. Specifically, this study is testing whether ketamine, a drug that affects glutamate in the brain, will improve symptoms of depression within a matter of hours.

Individuals who are 18-65 years of age and have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and previously failed to respond to treatment may be eligible for an inpatient trial designed to bring about a rapid antidepressant effect.

NAMI Washington is very proud to be allying with the Citizen Soldier Support Program (CSSP) in an initiative promoting a comprehensive and responsive mental-health system for military veterans and their families. The Invisible Wounds of War series of courses is designed to build awareness of the culture in which veterans and their families live and work for primary care physicians, case workers, mental-health providers and other professionals.