Mental health is health
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! This May, help support our work to ensure every Marylander’s fundamental right to mental health and substance use care.
What to do if someone is experiencing a mental health crisis
If you or a loved one needs assistance or is thinking of suicide, please get help immediately. These resources below offer immediate help.
Maryland Crisis Hotline
Call: 800-422-0009
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Or Dial
2-1-1, Press 1
Alternatively, you can visit Suicide Prevention Lifeline to talk via phone or live webchat.
Suicide Prevention Lifeline WebsiteOpens in a new window.
The Mental Health Association of Maryland provides free informational resources, which are currently available by download or by mail.
Access our ResourcesOpens in a new window.
MHAMD believes every person has a right to respect, dignity, and the opportunity to achieve their full potential free from stigma and prejudice. We're working to ensure that all Marylanders have access to high-quality behavioral healthcare.
Advocacy
Influencing policy to assure all Marylanders have access to quality behavioral health care.
Learn MoreTraining
Training professionals and everyday Marylanders how help those with behavioral health needs.
Learn MoreCommunity Outreach & Education
Offering behavioral health education and resources for all stages of life.
Learn MoreServices Oversight
Providing oversight to improve the quality of Maryland's public behavioral health system.
Learn MoreResources
MHAMD’s library of free resources provides information on behavioral health throughout all stages of life.
Advocacy
The Mental Health Association of Maryland’s public policy staff works with the Maryland legislature, members of Congress, government officials, and other stakeholders including consumers, family members, mental health professionals, and other advocates to affect laws and policies at the State and Federal levels.
Take Action
Join us in our advocacy efforts. Sign up and stay connected.
Coalitions
MHAMD chairs a number of coalitions addressing behavioral health in Maryland.
The Issues
Each year MHAMD works on close to 100 proposed pieces of legislation.
Training
MHAMD’s training programs focus on delivering mental health training to health care professionals and laypeople.
Mental Health First Aid Maryland®
Mental Health First Aid is a nationally certified course that teaches the skills needed to recognize signs of a mental health or substance use disorder crisis and take action.
Engage with™
Engage with™ is a comprehensive skills-based training designed to increase awareness and develop the skills needed to engage in caring for older adults.
Vibrant Aging: Peers Program
MHAMD is pleased to offer Behavioral Health, Aging & Peer Support for Certified Peer Recovery Specialists (CPRS) or anyone who provides peer support.
Community Outreach
MHAMD’s community outreach and education programs provide Marylanders of all ages with information to improve understanding of mental health and illness, increase knowledge of effective interventions, and strengthen pathways to care.
Children’s Mental Health Matters
MHAMD’s children’s mental health efforts raise awareness of children’s mental health needs and enhance outreach efforts to families and communities.
Healthy New Moms
Healthy New Moms works to raise awareness of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and offer support and resources to moms, families and providers across the state.
Vibrant Minds
MHAMD established its Older Adult Program to address the need for widespread education and advocacy regarding mental wellness and the aging process.
Consumer Quality Team of Maryland
The Consumer Quality Team of Maryland partners with consumers, providers, and funding agencies to present, discuss, and find resolutions to problems that consumers experience in the public behavioral health system.
Immediate Help
If you or a loved one needs assistance or is thinking of suicide, please get help immediately.
Related Article
10 Things You Should Know About the Mental Health Parity Law
1. Current regulations went into effect in January of 2010.
The Wellstone and Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was passed in 2008, but Interim Final Regulations were released in 2010. All insurance plans that are not specifically exempted from the law must now be in compliance.