Health

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Mental Health Week: How Family Members Manage

Vermont Public | By Jane Lindholm,

Published March 23, 2017 at 12:00 PM EDT

We're talking about what it's like for the family members of Vermonters with serious mental health conditions.

The effects of a mental illness almost always stretch beyond just one person. Being the family member of someone with a mental health condition comes with unique challenges, and providing support to a struggling loved one can be both draining and heartbreaking.

We're talking about how mental health conditions impact family members and caregivers, and how those folks can take care of themselves as well as their loved ones.

We're joined by three guests from the Vermont Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness - NAMI Vermont.

Laurie Emerson is executive director of NAMI Vermont, Jim Johnson is a family support group facilitator for the group, and Sara Moran is a board member and a former teacher of NAMI's "Family to Family" course.

This show is part of a weeklong series of 'Vermont Edition' programs related to mental health care.

Correction 4:57 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated Moran's first name. The post has now been corrected.

This program is part of a weeklong series on Vermont Edition looking at issues related to mental health care and Vermonters' lives. Find more on the "Mental Health Week" series here.Broadcast live on Thursday, March 23, 2017 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.