NAMI 6 County offers support classes to community

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – A local organization is bringing knowledge and support to families in the community. 

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is a group that helps families who are going through difficult times with their loved ones who have mental illnesses or other brain disorders. President Paul Quinn wants to help families understand what’s happening and teach them how to better cope with it.

“A lot of people don’t know anything about it but they still see fit to judge and usually it’s looking at that person as if it’s a character flaw when in actuality, they’re compensating for a brain chemistry imbalance and once we understand that it’s better for everybody,” Quinn said. 

Quinn said his family went through a hard time with their brother when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia so they try to take their experience to help other people and hopefully help save them some of that pain that comes with the ignorance of the mental illness. 

“When you get a family member diagnosed with a mental illness it doesn’t come with a manual that says and here’s how to handle that,” Quinn said. “The more you can learn about it, the better you can accept it, the better you can help your loved one and everyone comes out further ahead in the end.”

Everything in the 11-week course is confidential and Quinn said don’t be afraid to reach out for support because this could be a turning point in your families life. For more information and to register visit the NAMI 6 county on Facebook.