Family-to-Family
Mary Lindsay and Linda Schmitmeyer know what it's like to have a loved one suffering from a mental illness.
And they want to help others in the same situation to cope. The two National Alliance on Mental Illness members will teach a Family-to-Family education program beginning Sept. 19 at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at 212 S. Main St.
Lindsay said, “It's a 12-week class. I have taught it three times in the past.
“We offer it once a year, but we could offer it twice a year depending on the availability of teachers and the interest of people in the Butler area,” she said.
Schmitmeyer and Lindsay both took a three-day course in State College earlier this year before being certified by NAMI to teach this class.
NAMI is a grass-roots mental health organization dedicated to improving lives of those affected by mental illness.
Schmitmeyer said, “Families dealing with mental illness gain insight, information and understanding about mental illness.”
The two said the free class could prove valuable to anyone with a family member or loved one who is mentally ill.
Lindsay said, “Each week we do a different diagnosis. We cover schizophrenia, manic depression, mania, bipolar types, panic disorders, obsessive/compulsives, borderline personality disorder and co-occurring and addictive disorders.”
Lindsay said, “We discuss and tell what they are like. People will learn about medications and the biology of the brain.”
Through that, said Schmitmeyer, “People will learn how to communicate with an ill relative. And how to take care of yourself throughout this process.
“There is a chaotic situation at home. People are taught to strategize,” she said.
Lindsay said the class is not a support group. NAMI has two support groups — one meeting at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month in the Beatitudes Room at Passavant Retirement Center in Zelienople and one meeting at 6 p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month at Abba's House in Saxonburg.
“Those help walk you through the red tape,” said Lindsay.
Family-to-Family is designed to help people understand and support their afflicted relatives, something both Schmitmeyer and Lindsay have in common with their future students.
Lindsay said her son suffers from schizoaffective disorder which causes mood swings and thought disorders.
“He found treatment and he has been stable for six years, he's had a job for four,” she said.
Schmitmeyer's husband also had schizoaffective disorder.
She said, “Mental illness is treatable in most cases and recovery is possible. They can live a normal life, or at least a meaningful life.”
Lindsay and Schmitmeyer said those suffering mental illness and those close to them are often discouraged from seeking treatment by the stigma that is attached to their disease.
“A willingness to talk openly about the illness will eliminate the stigma,” said Schmitmeyer.
WHAT: National Alliance on Mental Illness Family-to-Family education program for family, partners and significant others of those living with mental illnessWHEN: 12-week program starting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 19WHERE: 212 S. Main St., (Center for Community Resources)INFORMATION: To register, call 724-431-0069
