The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has been awarded a five-year, $14.2 million grant to create a Clinical Support System for Serious Mental Illness (CSS-SMI). The grant will help doctors and other health providers treat patients with serious mental illness through consultation and education. Serious mental illnesses are those that substantially interfere with major life activities; they include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. The project is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).The CSS-SMI project will offer consultation services and learning opportunities nationwide for clinicians who provide care to people with serious mental illness, including physicians, nurses, recovery specialists, peer-to-peer specialists and others. The project will use sophisticated web and app-based technologies to promote best-practices in caring for individuals with serious mental illness, including the use of APA’s PsychPRO mental health registry. In addition to the APA, 29 partnering organizations and individuals -- representing stakeholders from the entire mental health community -- will provide expertise on clinical content, educational resources and strategic guidance on the project Advisory Board.“This grant will allow the APA to take a leading role in addressing serious mental illness in this country,” said APA President Altha Stewart, M.D. “Serious mental illness affects an estimated 9.8 million adults each year. The CSS-SMI project will help us disseminate best practices for treating people who have serious mental illness and increase their access to care. I am excited to see the project unfold over the next five years.”American Psychiatric AssociationThe American Psychiatric Association, founded in 1844, is the oldest medical association in the country. The APA is also the largest psychiatric association in the world with more than 37,800 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses. APA’s vision is to ensure access to quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. For more information please visit www.psychiatry.org.