Family are usually the first line of defence for those with mental illness, according to counsellor Chanelle Lawson.

But family members also need support, Dr Lawson, who will be the keynote speaker at tonight’s You Are Not Alone forum, told The Royal Gazette.

“Family is usually the first line of defence, the first line of support, because they are there with their loved one,” Dr Lawson, who owns Offer A Hand Up Counseling in Greenwood, Indiana, said.

“They’re untrained most of the time, they’re uneducated as far as their loved ones mental illness — they know something is going on with their family member but don’t know exactly what and usually they don’t find out until they reach out to a professional support or community support for assistance.”

And while support starts in the home, Dr Lawson said it “builds into something bigger” and the “bottom line is to provide advocacy”.

Today’s event hosted by the Bermuda Mental Health Foundation will focus on how the community can better support family members with mental illness. Topics will include available support and how this can be increased in Bermuda, as well as the importance of “supporting the supporters”.

Dr Lawson, who works with those struggling with mental health and addiction, will also briefly highlight common mental illnesses, the treatment options available in the United States and Bermuda, and how family involvement can provide advocacy “for their loved ones to help change policy as it relates to insurance coverage and how the Government responds to mental health illnesses”. “I’m hoping they take away the importance of family support and recovery. I’m hoping they take away that family are the first line of support but they also need support and I’m hoping that individuals take away that there are other treatment options available.”

She will also address stigma — one of the barriers that keeps individuals from getting the help they need, as well as family members supporting their loved ones at the most appropriate level.

“The best way to reduce stigma is to talk about it, have conversations about it, know that you are not alone, know that even though your loved one is experiencing crises or mental health symptoms, they are still your loved one and remember your love for them. It becomes taboo when you don’t speak about it.”

According to Dr Lawson, mental health awareness has grown “tremendously in the past 20 years” in the United States.

“The goal is to reduce hospitalisation or institutionalisation through the prison system or jail or law enforcement, so they try to provide as much through the community and home as possible to reduce that.

“I actually provide community and home-based treatment, which is provided in the client’s home, with their family with them, with any support that they identify.”

Family support is key, she said, because “it ultimately ends in advocating for your loved one and advocating that their treatment is the most appropriate level of treatment”.

“Who better to do that than, of course, the client, the individual themselves, but also the family, their support. And it doesn’t always involve going to the hospital or going to jail.”

And when it comes to supporting the family members, support groups are a big factor, even if it is in a more informal setting.

The main thing is that family members know they are not alone and that there are others going through the same trials and tribulations and crises with their loved ones, she added.

“Start support groups for family members whose loved ones have been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

“That’s the best way for family members to come together and really talk about it.”

And if there are no support groups available, start one, she said, pointing to organisations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

“A support group can start right in your home, right in your home over coffee. As long as you are talking about it.”

The event will be held at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute from 6pm and is free and open to the public.

For additional information, visit www.bmhf.bm or call 441-400-5634.