GRAND RAPIDS — Where do you go when life seems overwhelming? Who do you turn to?
Should you seek help, or should you just buck up and deal with your issues?
These are some of the questions the Grand Rapids chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness wants to help you with. The group's president Marian Barcus and member Patty Holycross were recent Bright Spot guests on the KAXE Morning Show.
Holycross said, "I think people, ... if they're just starting on a mental health journey, are really starved for information. [They] need to know things that they don't know, and quickly."
The group is offering two webinars during the month of May, Mental Health Awareness Month. The meeting at noon Wednesday, May 13, will help tell the difference between everyday stress and bigger issues. The second at noon Wednesday, May 20, focuses on how to start getting help.
Barcus said people can show support for those with mental illness by offering understanding.
"It deserves just as much care and consideration as any of the other long-term illnesses that people experience."
NAMI Grand Rapids Area offers a monthly family support group at 5 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at Community Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids.
Listen to our full conversation above and register for the May 13 and May 20 webinars. If you can't attend on those dates, you can find these and previous webinars on the NAMI Grand Rapids YouTube channel.
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The Bright Spot is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
