Here is more info about P&A. In seeking help for our son, I found I had to go into the Mental Health Code of my state and find out what my son's rights as a mentally ill person are. Then when advocating for him on the phone or in person, I could use language like "That's a violation of the Mental Health Code (of the state I'm from)." This link is to the govt' code which established P&A.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/chapter-114
Also at this link check out the language of the "restatement of rights of the mentally ill person." This gives us as parents, just by reading the Code, the language to argue (rightly, legally) that our kids' civil rights are being violated when they aren't given proper/adequate care for mental health issues.
Here are a few more good links
NAMI -- 25 tips to advocate for your child
http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/CAAC/How_To_Advocate_For_Your_Child.htm
A guide to Disability Rights laws
http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm
National Disability Rights Network
http://www.ndrn.org/
I think that the mental health system is so broken down and the bureaucracy is so thick, that advocacy has come to the point of knowing the law, even a tiny bit of the law, so as to be able to say "My kid's rights are being violated (whether at the state or federal level). Who's going to take care of this?" Also look up websites specific to your state.
