NAMI-GC College Outreach Program

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• Mental Illness: What You Can Do
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    • What Family Should Keep in Mind
    • What Friends Should Keep in Mind
    • Coping Strategies for Parents
    • Coping Strategies for Friends
    • Confidentiality Rules & Concerns
    • Basic Facts & Treatment to Remember
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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.

It can be so hard to help my child and friend—what can I do to take care of myself (or the rest of my family)?

It can be difficult, exhausting, frustrating, angering, saddening, and more, to be there for someone who is experiencing the symptoms of a mental illness. It is vitally important that you as a parent or friend are getting the support and help you need.

Seeing a mental health professional can help you sort out how you’ve been doing and coping strategies you can use to better help yourself or a friend. Support groups for family members of persons with mental illness (also open to friends) are located throughout the Chicago area; sometimes talking and listening to others who are going through what you’ve been through can be a great help. See current Chicago-area support groups listing.

One of the best things you can do is become more educated and informed about the illness. Being informed can make you a better advocate for your child or friend, as well as helping you better understand how to cope with signs or symptoms in beneficial ways. This website contains more information on mental illnesses and campus and community resources that can be of help. NAMI of Greater Chicago offers free Family education courses called Family to Family, which are open to friends and non-family caregivers of persons with mental illness, as well. For more information, go to Family to Family course.

For more information on what you can do, advice from other friends and family members of persons affected by mental illness, and more please visit the Friends & Family section of this website.