If You Care for Someone with a Mental Illness, You Are Not Alone

Family members and caregivers play critical roles in helping and supporting the millions of people in the U.S. who experience mental health conditions each year.

At least 8.4 million people in the U.S. provide care to an adult with a mental or emotional health issue.

If you’re caring for a family member with a mental health condition, it’s important that you know you’re not alone.

And while it's important to know how to support your loved one, it's also just as important to take care of yourself, too.

Have Concerns?

Are you concerned that your child may be struggling with a mental health condition? Learn more here

Need Help?

Is someone you care about having a mental health crisis? Get help now‍

Back to Top

Ways to Support a Loved One with a Mental Health Condition

Educate yourself about mental illness.
‍
‍Learn as much as you can from reputable sources about mental health and your loved one's condition. Having a better understanding of what they're experiencing can help you better support them.

Trained NAMI volunteers lead free support groups and classes, providing support, education, and skills training from the unique understanding of people with lived experience. See NAMI Jacksonville programs for families and caregivers.

Learn about mental illness, causes, symptoms, treatment, and more >

Learn ways to support recovery.
‍
When someone has a mental health condition, support from family can make a big difference. However, it can be hard to know how to provide that support. It’s particularly difficult to balance showing support with caring for your own health, and encouraging others to be responsible for their actions. Visit NAMI.org for more ways to support your loved one.

Normalize talking about mental health.

‍Talking about feelings, experiences and concerns can help relieve stress, and it can be an opportunity to provide support. There are strategies you can use to improve your communication skills. Visit NAMI.org for tips on communicating with your loved one.

Be prepared for a mental health crisis.

‍When you care for someone with a mental health condition, it’s important to be prepared for the possibility of a mental health crisis. Learn about mental health crises, and how to develop a crisis plan here: Being Prepared for a Mental Health Crisis.

Have your family member consider a WRAP.

‍WRAP is Wellness Recovery Action Plan, a simple and powerful process for creating a life and wellness. The WRAP process helps your family member identify the tools that help them maintain their wellness, and develop action plans to help them stay on track. Learn more about WRAP or check the NAMI Jax calendar for a WRAP seminar.

Back to Top

Circle of Care: A Guidebook for Mental Health Caregivers

NAMI partnered with the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) to create “Circle of Care: A Guidebook for Mental Health Caregivers.”

Circle of Care is designed to guide people who care for someone with a mental health condition. It includes information on:

Finding the Right Provider
Communicating with Health Professionals
Getting an Accurate Diagnosis
Discharge Planning
Health Insurance

Community Services
Dealing with the Criminal Justice System
Planning for the Future
Confidentiality and Family Involvement
Taking Care of Yourself

Click image to view PDF or download

Back to Top

Know How Mental Illness Can Affect Caregivers

According to caregiver.org, caregiver depression is now a silent health crisis. A conservative estimate reports that 20 percent of family caregivers suffer from depression, twice the rate of the general population.

While caregiving does not cause depression, caregivers often sacrifice their own physical and emotional needs in an effort to care for their family member. The stress of caring for someone with a mental illness, and the resulting feelings of anger, sadness, isolation, exhaustion — and guilt for having these feelings — can contribute to caregivers experiencing their own mental health challenges. If you feel that you are struggling with sadness or anxiety, don't hesitate to seek treatment for yourself.

Ways to Take Care of Yourself

If you care for and support a loved one, it's important to take to care of yourself too. But finding time for self-care and figuring out what works best for you can be hard. Just taking small steps to reduce stress and find support can have a big impact.