According to the National Mental Health Assn., more than 54 million Americans suffer from mental illness. However, when taking into account the loved ones whose lives are vicariously affected, that number becomes much greater.

But due to the social stigma attached to mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, many family members feel isolated from the help they need to better understand the disorder that has become a permanent fixture in their lives. It’s not uncommon to misread or overlook the symptoms of a serious illness simply out of fear or ignorance.

	NAMI is a nonprofit, grass-roots, self-help, support and advocacy organization of consumers, families, and friends of people with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anxiety disorders. Founded in 1979, NAMI has more than 210,000 members who seek equitable services for people with severe mental illnesses.For more information, go to: www.nami.org

Jayne Burchette of Anderson, S.C., said her son was an outgoing high school student, a talented pianist who, although a bit eccentric at times, seemed most like any other teenager finding his way through the quirky world of adolescence. Mental illness was the last thing she thought would be associated with her son.

“I think I chose not to see it. He had a lot of symptoms, but he was outgoing and wasn’t reclusive,” Burchette said. “As a mother, you ignore all kinds of things. A lot of mothers are nurturing their children. They’ll ignore reports of that kind of thing even if they know it’s true.”

But when she found him squinting his eyes, afraid to open them because he thought evil was coming out of them, the possibility that something was very wrong could no longer be ignored. Her son was schizophrenic.

When a loved one is diagnosed with a serious mental illness, it’s easy for family members to detach from one another as a way of coping. However, running from the truth rather than facing it is far from dealing with the situation.

With so many Americans affected by a variety of mental illnesses, chances are good that many others share the same secret. Support groups such as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), provide those whose lives are touched by mental illness with the knowledge and comfort they need to cope.

“You can see other people who have lived with the same problem. That’s so important to stress,” Burchette said. “With the stigma that’s attached, they don’t tell anybody about it.”

Burchette said reaching out for help in the community is crucial in dealing with mental illness.

“You have to be foolish to hide your head in the sand. You’ve got to work with the family,” she said. “You need to learn all you can about the disease and find out what can be helped and what can be done.”