SUPPORTING YOUR LOVED ONE INCLUDES FINDING SUPPORT FOR YOURSELF.

When a friend or family member develops a mental health condition, it’s important to know that you’re not alone.

Facts about how mental illness affects caregivers:

  • One of today’s all-too silent health crises is caregiver depression. A conservative estimate reports that 20% of family caregivers suffer from depression, twice the rate of the general population.
  • Women, primarily wives and daughters, provide the majority of caregiving. In the United States, approximately 12 million women experience clinical depression each year, at approximately twice the rate of men.
  • Men who are caregivers deal with depression differently. Men are less likely to admit to depression and doctors are less likely to diagnose depression in men. Men will more often “self-treat” their depressive symptoms of anger, irritability, or feelings of powerlessness with alcohol or overwork.

Source: caregiver.org

a woman supports and hugs another woman during a difficult time

BALANCING BETWEEN CARING FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVED ONE.

To be able to care for the people you love, you must first take care of yourself. Whether you’re providing a lot of assistance or very little, the information here can help you better understand the issues that you might face.

Support your family member.

Across the country, thousands of trained NAMI volunteers bring peer-led programs to a wide variety of community settings, from churches to schools to NAMI Affiliates. With the unique understanding of people with lived experience, these programs and support groups provide outstanding free education, skills training and support.

Learning to Help
Supporting Recovery
Healthy Relationships

Take care of yourself.

To be able to care for the people you love, you must first take care of yourself. It’s like the advice we’re given on airplanes: put on your own oxygen mask before trying to help someone else with theirs. Taking care of yourself is a valid goal on its own, and it helps you support the people you love.

Care for Yourself

Create a plan for crisis prevention.

No one wants to worry about the possibility of a crisis, but they do happen. That doesn’t mean you have to feel powerless. Many healthcare providers require patients to create a crisis plan, and may suggest that it be shared with friends and family. Ask your loved one if he has developed a plan.

Preventing Suicide
Prepare for Crisis
Finding a Missing Loved One
Reach out for additional support.

Trying to help a family member who has been arrested or finding stable, affordable housing can be challenging. Here are some steps to take to help your loved one.

Loved One Arrested
Secure Stable Housing

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