Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Mental illness affects not only the person who is ill, but their families and loved ones as well. The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts is sponsoring a free family-to-family educational course for family members of individuals with a serious mental illness. The course has been given nationwide to over 100,000 family members since its inception. It is taught by two trained family member volunteers and is intended to help family caregivers cope with a close relative’s mental illness.

We are pleased to again help increase awareness of this valuable, important program, which was given on the Island for the first time last winter. This year, the 12 weekly classes, offered free of charge, will be held in Oak Bluffs on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m., beginning Thursday, Feb. 18 and ending on Thursday, May 6.

A total of 23 individuals representing 22 Island families benefited from the classes last year. The class participants comments about last year’s successful group can be summarized by this one comment: “The class was excellent, tremendously informative, supportive, empowering, encouraging. I entered the 12-week class feeling anxious, depressed and pessimistic about my ill family member’s future possibilities, and at the end of the 12 weeks I feel strong, hopeful and no longer isolated.”

Funded in part by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, the course consists of 12 weekly two and one half hour sessions. The classes will cover information about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders and borderline personality disorder. The program also cover topics such as coping skills, crisis and relapse, listening and communication techniques, problem solving and limit-setting techniques and the family caregiver’s need for self-care.

Peter Weiden, M.D. author of Breakthroughs in Antipsychotic Medications, says: “Family members who take the NAMI family-to-family course are better equipped to work with mental health clinicians in a collaborative manner. My bottom-line recommendation? Take this course. It will help you learn to cope successfully with a major challenge in your life, and that, in turn, will help your loved one as he or she works toward recovery.”

The course is open to close relatives and significant others of persons with a serious mental illness. However, it is not open to individuals who themselves suffer from a serious mental illness, unless their condition is stable and they wish to attend as caregivers for close relatives who have a mental illness. The class size is normally limited to 20 people and advance registration is required. Please call 508-693-5872 with any questions and to register.

We are so fortunate to have this program on the Island. Please take advantage of the support it offers.

Julia Burgess

Vineyard Haven

The writer is the executive director of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services.