MIAW - CAMIMH

Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) is organized by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) which is a group of mental health organizations comprised of health care providers, as well as the mentally ill and their families. I basically think that this is the main lobby group for mental health as the website says: CAMIMH’s mandate is to ensure that mental health is placed on the national agenda so that persons with a lived experience of mental illness and their families receive appropriate access to care and support.

Don't confuse it with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), which is a nation-wide, voluntary organization that promotes the mental health of all and supports the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness. The CMHA accomplishes this mission through advocacy, education, research and service. They organize Mental Health Week in the first week of May each year.

Also don't confuse them with The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) which is Canada’s leading addiction and mental health organization, integrating specialized clinical care with innovative research, education, health promotion and policy development. CAMH is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health.

The acronyms are all similar. Their mandates all appear similar as well. They are all different and I don't know how they interact or work amongst each other, however the more mental health related organizations etc. the better!