My family member is not doing well. What should we do?

Trying to tell the difference between what expected behaviors are and what might be the signs of a mental illness isn't always easy. There's no easy test that can let someone know if there is mental illness or if actions and thoughts might be typical behaviors of a person or the result of a physical illness.

Learning About 12

Specific Mental Health Conditions 

Learn specifically about Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Psychosis, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Borderline Personality, and more.

1. NAMI Lake County Illinois- offers monthly educational meetings. Just show up!
2. NAMI Lake County Groups - Call the number on the flyer to talk to the group leader. 
3. For virtual NAMI Illinois Groups - click the sign-up link below:

Military Service Members, Veterans, and their Families:  Lake County is home to many military families. We need to support the Families that protect us as a part of their jobs. Accessible through computers or mobile devices, NAMI Homefront Mental Health Resources are confidentially available 24/7 and includes information about mental health conditions treatment options, approaches to increase overall wellness, tips for self-care and managing stress, links to helpful organizations and crisis services, and assistance in transitioning from military to civilian life.

NAMI Smarts for Advocacy is a hands-on advocacy training program that helps people living with mental illness, friends and family transform their passion and lived experience into skillful grassroots advocacy.

NAMI Smarts for Advocacy will teach a person to:

• Tell a compelling story that is inspiring and makes an “ask” in 90 seconds
• Write an effective email, and make an impactful phone call
• Orchestrating a successful meeting with an elected official

NAMI Sharing Your Story with Law Enforcement (SYSLE) is a presentation program that prepares individuals and family members to share their stories of lived experience with mental illness to a law enforcement audience, such as during Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, or other events where mental illness and related topics are featured.

The powerful and unique stories shared by NAMI presenters help increase officers’ understanding and empathy, improving crisis response in communities. These presentations are consistently popular with officers who attend CIT training and NAMI’s goal is to ensure that every law enforcement officer has this opportunity.