General Information for family members (of adults with mental illness)

There are many things family members need when they are trying to figure out what a diagnosis of mental illness (such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, etc.) will mean not just for the person who was diagnosed with the illness, but to the family unit as well. If you are looking for more information, and the person with a diagnosis is a child, please check out the information available on the Young Families page.

There are two large advocacy organizations for adults, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Michigan and the Mental Health Association of Michigan (MHAM). One is membership based (NAMI) and one is not (MHAM). They often collaborate on lobbying efforts and attend advocacy meetings together. When you click on the active links you will be taken to a separate page for each organization that tells you how you can find out more about how you can join, where meetings are held, if there is a meeting in your area, etc. Both organizations have people with a mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis as members as well.

There are other organizations in Michigan that help by providing advocacy, education or support; the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) and the International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (now known as the IOCDF). They both have much to offer, but currently aren't as big in-state as either NAMI or MHAM, and groups are generally offered only in metropolitan areas or in larger towns. There is information available from all organizations.

All four advocacy organizations welcome people who have a mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis as well as family members. Some are more consumer (the person who has a mental illness) focused and consumer driven.

Families often find it necessary to provide extra support to a person with illness for many years. This is true if the person with the illness is a child, an adult, a parent or a grandparent. The toll that any chronic illness takes on a family unit is often massive, not just in terms of money, but time, energy and frustration. Everyone's lives are interrupted, not just one person's. Some family members struggle to find people who are missing and homeless. This struggle may go on for years.

The words in the different sections in Recovery 101 and in Health and Wellness will often be of help to family members. These pages were designed to assist people who happen to have a mental illness to become more knowledgeable about different things that can help make their journey into a solid, durable and long-lasting recovery better. The tips and thoughts were culled from consumers (people who have a mental illness or psychiatric diagnosis) who have already started on their recovery journeys and feel that they are comfortable with where they are at this time.

Education for Families of Adults

In 1995 NAMI Michigan was developing a family education course (Families in Action) when they asked family members what they wanted and needed. The answer was this:

To be included in the lives of their family members. It was incredibly frustrating to be left out when there were so many ways they could be of assistance to both the person who had the diagnosis and the community mental health systems that would be providing services to them. To better understand the interruption of the family cycle. Not only had the person with the illness not gotten what they wanted out of life, but in many instances the family members were facing the possibility that they might not ever have grandchildren, that their son or daughter might not ever be able to work at a job that would give them a retirement or a good quality of life, or other such things. They wanted to be able to share with others what they were going through. How could the isolation that they were feeling be ended or were other people going through what they were? Were they the only ones? Learn more about what to expect. What did they need to do to help the person with the mental illness succeed?

Courses that are taught by people who have experience as family members are incredibly important because the sharing that can happen is so connecting. People who have common experiences are discussing them with course facilitators who also have the same experiences. For more information about the courses that are offered in Michigan, there are links off the advocacy organizations page.

Now NAMI MI has an additional family education course Family-to-Family. They are distinctly different. Both offer intrinsic value.

Many family splits happen when family members feel they are forced to call the police to assist their family member. In some instances, they are hoping to get help for a family member who has a mental illness or a serious and persistent mental illness. In some situations, the families are afraid of what might happen. Sometimes that help happens when the police are called in and sometimes it doesn't. This is not easy for anyone who is caught up in such a potentially traumatic situation. While neither NAMI nor MHAM desire that it becomes necessary to have the police called, it does sometimes happen. It is a toss up as to whether the help needed will be received when this method is used. Whatever happens, help wise, it is important to remember that communication will be required to rebuild the family unit into a cohesive family unit.

It's important to remember that many times there is a reason a person doesn't want to go in for treatment or may become more ill. The problem may be due to poor or inadequate care. If you feel that inadequate care or treatment is being given, contact NAMI or the MHAM and talk to other people who have been in the same situation. Other reasons may be:

Poor prior treatment Stigma and shame Bad treatment team match Medications that don't work well Delusions Not realizing one is ill Lack of hope that recovery is possible Fear of committal

It always helps to understand that the reason or reasons that an individual does or doesn't desire treatment will be specific to that individual and their experiences. While the reason or reasons might not make sense to others, they do make sense to that individual.

Both NAMI and MHAM are involved in children's mental health, but there are two other advocacy organizations that specifically cover children's mental health in Michigan. Children's advocacy organizations address the needs of the families that surround the child/children as well as the child/children themselves. These organizations are the Association for Children's Mental Health (ACMH) and the Michigan Association of Children with Emotional Disorders (MACED) .