quick contacts

Questions about NCCOP? Want to help? Contact nccop@namigc.org.

For more information, referrals, support, and education about serious mental illness, call NAMI of Greater Chicago at (312) 563-0445, or visit the NAMI of Greater Chicago website, namigc.org.

Coping Strategies for Friends

  1. Become educated and get involved in campus and community advocacy for better mental health services and awareness efforts. For volunteer opportunities with the NAMI Chicago College Outreach Program, email info@namigc.org.
  2. Maintain the same relationship with your friend as before they became ill. Your friend is more than his/her illness.
  3. Don’t forget to take care of yourself, too. Join a peer support group, or talk to a mental health professional. Taking care of your friend is part of your life, but not all of it.
  4. Stay positive. Remember that treatment takes time, but it does work.
  5. Never keep a secret about a person when you think they might harm themselves or another person. It is better to lose a friendship than a friend.