National Shattering Silence Coalition

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      • MEET YOUR 31 DIRECTORS
      • AL: Holly Strayer
      • AK: Krista Schooley
      • AZ: Crystal Fox
      • CA: Jacqueline Janssen
      • CT: Melissa Valdivia
      • DE: Heidi Nasstrom Evans
      • FL: Joanne Schmitz
      • FL: Jack Wood
      • GA: Daniel White
      • HI: Chad Koyangi
      • IL: Cindy Tank-Murphy
      • IN: David Doerner
      • IA: Cathy Bullock
      • KY: Angeline Davis
      • MA: Lynda Cutrell
      • ME: John Nutting
      • MI: Carla Van Farowe
      • NH: Mara Briere
      • NJ: Chip Angell
      • NY: Marianna Vertsman
      • NC: Beth Wallace
      • OH: Darrell Herrmann
      • OR: Breanna Smith
      • PA: Marcie Sohara
      • PA: Christine Wirbick
      • RI: Ruth Scott
      • SC: Susan Lea
      • TX: Julie Plank
      • UT: Sherri Wittwer
      • VA: Mary Troy
      • WA: Leanna May Franklin
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    • TREATMENT SAVES, NEGLECT COSTS: THE EVIDENCE >
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  • JOIN
  • DONATE
    • ACCOUNTABILITY
  • WHO WE ARE
    • ABOUT US
    • STRATEGIC ROADMAP
    • TEAM
    • BOARD OF DIRECTORS
    • STATE DIRECTORS >
      • MEET YOUR 31 DIRECTORS
      • AL: Holly Strayer
      • AK: Krista Schooley
      • AZ: Crystal Fox
      • CA: Jacqueline Janssen
      • CT: Melissa Valdivia
      • DE: Heidi Nasstrom Evans
      • FL: Joanne Schmitz
      • FL: Jack Wood
      • GA: Daniel White
      • HI: Chad Koyangi
      • IL: Cindy Tank-Murphy
      • IN: David Doerner
      • IA: Cathy Bullock
      • KY: Angeline Davis
      • MA: Lynda Cutrell
      • ME: John Nutting
      • MI: Carla Van Farowe
      • NH: Mara Briere
      • NJ: Chip Angell
      • NY: Marianna Vertsman
      • NC: Beth Wallace
      • OH: Darrell Herrmann
      • OR: Breanna Smith
      • PA: Marcie Sohara
      • PA: Christine Wirbick
      • RI: Ruth Scott
      • SC: Susan Lea
      • TX: Julie Plank
      • UT: Sherri Wittwer
      • VA: Mary Troy
      • WA: Leanna May Franklin
    • PARTNERS
    • NATIONAL SOLIDARITY WALL
    • SMI INTELLIGENCE FAQ
    • SOCIAL IMPACT
    • CONTACT US
  • IMPACT INITIATIVES
    • CRISIS TO CARE
    • BEYOND STIGMA
    • MOBILIZING DIRECTORS
    • SMI PEER ALLIANCE
  • MEDIA & INSIGHTS
    • TREATMENT SAVES, NEGLECT COSTS: THE EVIDENCE >
      • SEE THE EVIDENCE
      • SHARE YOUR EVIDENCE
    • FRONTLINE PERSPECTIVES
    • NATIONAL POSITION PAPERS
    • PRO & PEER TALKS
    • EVENTS & OUTREACH >
      • SYMPOSIUMS
      • CONFERENCES
    • CAMPAIGNS >
      • BEYOND STIGMA CAMPAIGN
      • STILL HERE CAMPAIGN
    • PODCASTS
    • BLOG
    • IN THE NEWS
    • PRESS ROOM
  • RESOURCES & ADVOCACY
    • UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOSIS GUIDE
    • SMI CAREGIVERS GUIDE
    • POLITICAL ADVOCACY GUIDE
    • HELPING IN CRISIS GUIDE
    • TREATMENT TERMS GUIDE
    • QUARTERLY RESOURCE GUIDE
    • EDUCATION & ADVOCACY TOOLS
  • SUPPORT GROUPS
    • THE ANCHOR
    • THE HIDDEN SENTENCE
    • SURVIVORS OF LOSS
    • SMI CAREGIVERS
    • SUCCESS CIRCLE
    • REPLANTING LIVES
  • JOIN
  • DONATE
    • ACCOUNTABILITY

Shattering the Silence:
The Blueprint for Accountability

Moving beyond awareness and into the era of institutional reform. Explore the clinical reality of No-Fault Brain Disease and the strategic path toward a National Standard of Care.

Explore 2026 Roadmap Join Coalition

NSSC Intelligence Hub: Frequently Asked Questions

For too long, the 22 million Americans living with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) have been met with a "Standard of Neglect." At NSSC, we are moving beyond general awareness and into the era of institutional accountability. This Hub serves as a forensic resource for families, clinicians, and policymakers to understand the clinical reality of No-Fault Brain Disease and the strategic path toward a National Standard of Care.
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Explore the ground-truth evidence driving the fastest-growing SMI movement in the nation.
The Mandate for Change
What is Severe Mental Illness (SMI) vs. No-Fault Brain Disease (NFBD)?
Severe Mental Illness (SMI) describes psychiatric conditions that cause significant functional impairment. NSSC reframes these specifically as No-Fault Brain Diseases (NFBD). Unlike general mental health concerns, these are biological, neurological crises—medical emergencies that require accountability rather than just behavioral support.
What is the "Standard of Neglect" vs. the "National Standard of Care"?
The Standard of Neglect occurs when systemic abandonment is masked as "civil liberty," leaving those with untreated psychosis to cycle through jails and ERs. NSSC is architecting the solution: A National Standard of Care that mandates medical necessity, not "imminent danger," as the trigger for treatment.
What is the "Right to be Well" vs. the "Right to be Sick"?
Current laws often protect a "Right to be Sick," allowing individuals with untreated psychosis to suffer in the name of civil liberty. NSSC champions the Right to be Well, arguing that providing medical care to someone too ill to recognize their own danger is not a violation of rights—it is a clinical lifeline that restores true autonomy.
The Financial Crisis
What is the "$343 Billion Neglect Tax"?
The Neglect Tax is the annual economic burden of systemic medical abandonment. It is the cost of using jails, shelters, and emergency rooms as a substitute for psychiatric hospitals. This includes direct institutional costs and the massive public safety expense of the criminalization of disease. It does not include the lost productivity and direct expenses to caregivers.
Clinical & Family Support
Anosognosia: Why won't my loved one accept help?
Anosognosia is a biological impairment of the frontal lobe that leaves a person physically unable to recognize they are ill. It affects 54-97% of people with schizophrenia and 40% with bipolar. It is not "denial"; it is a medical inability to perceive reality.
How does NSSC help families in crisis?
We provide the professional tools and ground truth evidence needed to force clinical conversations with prosecutors, doctors and legislators. We are currently seeking funding for our Crisis to Care (C2C) initiative to pair families with Family and Legal Navigators. Additionally, our national support groups provide the expert lived-intelligence needed to survive the crisis and fight for reform.
Growth & Involvement
How is NSSC uniquely different from other advocacy groups?
While many focus on general "wellness" and stigma, NSSC is the only coalition focused exclusively on the 22 million Americans with the most severe forms of brain disease. We are policy advocates and architects using lived experience as forensic evidence to mandate medical accountability in state and federal law.
How can I join the NSSC movement in my state?
We are architecting a professional legislative presence in all 50 states. By joining as a member, you gain strategic policy access to educate leaders and shape the legislation that will define the future of medical care in your community.
Where does my donation go?
NSSC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit led by a volunteer team. 100% of your gift supports our frontline families and the strategic infrastructure required to scale our 2026 Impact Initiatives.

MOVE FROM WITNESS TO ARCHITECT

​Information without advocacy is just data. We have provided the evidence; now we need the collective power to turn this intelligence into law. By joining the nation’s fastest-growing SMI coalition, you gain the professional backing and strategic access needed to dismantle the Standard of Neglect in your community.
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NSSC IS A 501(C)3 TAX-EXEMPT NONPROFIT [EIN# 41-3720272]

Disclaimer: NSSC is not liable for any information, service or product obtained from this site. No legal or medical advice is provided. Information on site is not a substitute for professional healthcare. Please consult your healthcare provider for medical advice. Support groups are confidential and for educational and supportive purposes only. All views expressed in media posts and perspectives are those of the contributing authors and not necessarily NSSC or its affiliates.

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