When mental illness enters a family, it changes routines, relationships, and expectations. You may find yourself juggling appointments, managing unpredictable behavior, or walking on eggshells to avoid triggering anxiety or conflict. It’s common to feel frustration, fear, confusion, grief, or even guilt—especially when you don’t have the tools or information you need.

And while you may show up every day with love and good intentions, you may also feel alone.
But you don’t have to.

Introducing NAMI Family-to-Family

NAMI Family-to-Family is a free, research-based education program created specifically for family members, partners, and caregivers of someone living with a mental health condition. It’s taught by people who have walked this path—not by clinical professionals, but by family members who truly get it.

Over the course of the program, you’ll learn:

• What mental health diagnoses mean—and what they don’t
• How treatment works, including medications and therapies
• Communication and problem-solving strategies that help everyone feel heard
• How to navigate crisis situations and advocate confidently
• The importance of boundaries, self-care, and long-term resilience

But perhaps the most meaningful part isn’t found in the curriculum—it’s found in the connection. For many people, the first night feels like a weight lifting: “These people understand. I’m not alone.”

Why This Matters

Mental illness can make family life unpredictable. One day your loved one may seem motivated and hopeful; the next, small tasks may feel impossible to them. You may struggle to separate the person you love from the symptoms they’re experiencing. You may wonder if you should step in, step back, or do both simultaneously.

These challenges are real—and you deserve support, too.

Taking NAMI Family-to-Family doesn’t mean you’re failing or unsure. It means you are strong enough to learn, to grow, and to show up more effectively—for your loved one and for yourself.

Hope and Help Are Within Reach

Participants often share that after completing the class, they feel:

• Less overwhelmed
• More informed
• More confident
• More hopeful
• More connected

Some even describe the experience as the moment everything finally started to make sense.

Your Journey Doesn’t Have to Feel So Heavy

If you are tired of guessing, worried you might be doing the wrong thing, or simply longing to talk to others who understand—this course is for you.

Registration is now open for the upcoming in-person NAMI Family-to-Family class offered by NAMI Fairbanks. The class is completely free, and space is limited.

You’ve been supporting your loved one.
Now it’s time to support you.

👉 Pre-register here—and take the next step toward clarity, connection, and hope. Click the link or call 907-456-4704.

The post When Someone You Love Is Struggling: Why You Don’t Have to Navigate Mental Illness Alone appeared first on NAMI Fairbanks.

(Reposted from its original publication on April 20, 2022)

Stigma is when someone views you in a negative way because you have a distinguishing characteristic or personal trait that’s thought to be, or actually is, a disadvantage (a negative stereotype). Unfortunately, negative attitudes and beliefs toward people who have a mental health condition are common.

Stigma can lead to discrimination. Discrimination may be obvious and direct, such as someone making a negative remark about your mental illness or your treatment. Or it may be unintentional or subtle, such as someone avoiding you because the person assumes you could be unstable, violent or dangerous due to your mental illness. You may even judge yourself.

Some of the harmful effects of stigma can include:

• Reluctance to seek help or treatment
• Lack of understanding by family, friends, co-workers or others
• Fewer opportunities for work, school or social activities or trouble finding housing
• Bullying, physical violence or harassment
• Health insurance that doesn’t adequately cover your mental illness treatment
• The belief that you’ll never succeed at certain challenges or that you can’t improve your situation

Here are some ways you can deal with stigma:

• Get treatment.You may be reluctant to admit you need treatment. Don’t let the fear of being labeled with a mental illness prevent you from seeking help. Treatment can provide relief by identifying what’s wrong and reducing symptoms that interfere with your work and personal life.
• Don’t let stigma create self-doubt and shame.Stigma doesn’t just come from others. You may mistakenly believe that your condition is a sign of personal weakness or that you should be able to control it without help. Seeking counseling, educating yourself about your condition and connecting with others who have mental illness can help you gain self-esteem and overcome destructive self-judgment.
• Don’t isolate yourself.If you have a mental illness, you may be reluctant to tell anyone about it. Your family, friends, clergy or members of your community can offer you support if they know about your mental illness. Reach out to people you trust for the compassion, support and understanding you need.
• Don’t equate yourself with your illness.You are not an illness. So instead of saying “I’m bipolar,” say “I have bipolar disorder.” Instead of calling yourself “a schizophrenic,” say “I have schizophrenia.”
• Join a support group.Some local and national groups, such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), offer local programs and internet resources that help reduce stigma by educating people who have mental illness, their families and the general public. Some state and federal agencies and programs, such as those that focus on vocational rehabilitation and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), offer support for people with mental illness.
• Get help at school.If you or your child has a mental illness that affects learning, find out what plans and programs might help. Discrimination against students because of a mental illness is against the law, and educators at primary, secondary and college levels are required to accommodate students as best they can. Talk to teachers, professors or administrators about the best approach and resources. If a teacher doesn’t know about a student’s disability, it can lead to discrimination, barriers to learning and poor grades.
• Speak out against stigma. Consider expressing your opinions at events, in letters to the editor or on the internet. It can help instill courage in others facing similar challenges and educate the public about mental illness.

Others’ judgments almost always stem from a lack of understanding rather than information based on facts. Learning to accept your condition and recognize what you need to do to treat it, seeking support, and helping educate others can make a big difference.

Rather than figure out where stigma begins, it’s easier to become more aware of what it is and when it occurs. Then we can do our best to educate others about how to reduce stigma and work toward ultimately eliminating it.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I am very particular about who I share my mental health with, and this is all because of stigma. I’ve faced judgement, prejudice, ridicule, and teasing because of my mental illness. As a result, I am very private about it. That bothers me because I want so bad to educate people. But our society is not very forgiving, so I’ve chosen to pick my outlets to help others very carefully. That is why I am involved with NAMI. It’s a safe place to help others and I am so grateful for the people I meet through NAMI and the NAMI Connections peer to peer group. It’s one of the few places that I feel comfortable being me and I feel like I have finally found “my people.”

The post Overcoming Stigma appeared first on NAMI Fairbanks.

If you’ve ever answered your phone and heard the panicked voice of your son or daughter on the other end saying that they are dying, or someone is trying to hurt them, you know the fear and feeling of helplessness that grips a parent’s heart during a time like this. How many times I have answered the phone at NAMI to hear a panicked parent, desperate to have a solution that will help their son or daughter climb out of this darkness?

Often the parent or friend is at their wits end, having tried everything they could think of, but the situation remained unchanged. If this describes you, I want you to know one thing: You Are Not Alone!

The first time I went down this road with my family member, I had NO IDEA that there was an army of people who had already traveled before me. Because of their experiences and the results of their advocacy, there was a system of help in place for my family member, here, in Fairbanks, Alaska!

Know What to Do

NAMI Fairbanks has a long, 39-year legacy of paving the way for families and individuals who experience mental illness in the Interior. Our goal to equip families, friends, coworkers, and neighbors to know how to help someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis. Similar to knowing how to perform CPR in an emergency situation, we should all strive to know how to identify when someone is in mental distress and who to call for help.

What’s the Big Deal?

Approximately 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. It affects all of us, whether at our workplace, school, or place of worship. We know someone who is silently struggling, afraid to ask for help because of the deep stigma associated with mental illness. It is time to band together, show the true heart of Fairbanks, and Stand Together for Mental Health. Let us uphold one another. Do not let our brother fall. Only when we look after each other, with concern and compassion, can we be strong as a community!

Is Change Really Possible?

Thanks to the many voices of NAMI advocacy and the collaborative efforts of our caring community, there is a system of mental health crisis response that is being implemented in Fairbanks. When you become a member of NAMI Fairbanks, you join your voice with others who are moving hearts and minds to create policy changes that improve the lives of people affected by mental health conditions.

Become a member of NAMI Fairbanks. Arm yourself with knowledge and educate yourself about mental illness. Refuse to look away. Lock arms together in solidarity to break down the walls of stigma. Lift each other up and make Hope and Recovery attainable for all of Fairbanks and the Interior.

Reach Out For Help

Call the NAMI Fairbanks office 907-456-4704

Participate in support groups and classes

The post Equipping Families appeared first on NAMI Fairbanks.