Families Coping With Mental Illness

To the Editor:

Did you know that 54 million Americans suffer from a mental illness?

My late husband struggled with paranoid schizophrenia all his short life. Our lives and our children’s lives were seriously impacted by the symptoms he experienced.

When I became a member of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and I experienced the Family-to-Family class, I felt understood, supported, and accepted. You can feel the same while learning ways to cope and how to advocate for your relative.

A free series of 12 weekly classes will begin Monday, February 4, from 5:30 to 8 pm at Hewitt Health and Rehab, 45 Maltby Street, Shelton. Family-to-Family classes are planned for many other towns across Connecticut. To learn where there may be a class in your area, contact NAMICT at 800-215-3021 or on the web at www.namict.org.

To register for the Shelton class, contact Sally Lukeris at 426-0482 or 924-6234. You may also send an email to lukeris@aol.com. Let us help you to help yourself and your loved one.

Sally Lukeris

PO Box 14, Sandy Hook                                   December 31, 2007