We are a District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association, and we advocate for mental health, substance use disorders, and the profession of psychiatry. The North Carolina Psychiatric Association is a District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association. -To support training, education and research to improve care for the psychiatric patient. -To educate the public about psychiatry, psychiatric illnesses, and treatments. -To enhance the quality of assistance to the psychiatric patient, particularly by improving access to care, improving conditions in hospitals, mental health centers and other facilities, and changing perceptions of mental illness and the process of recovery. -To remove any discrimination against people with mental illness, which may inhibit or prevent proper care, through educational and public service activities. -To increase public awareness of the signs and symptoms of psychiatric illness, the availability and methods of treatment, and the sources of assistance for persons with psychiatric illness.