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National Alliance on Mental Health volunteer Brenda Herschberger spoke about her experiences as a family member of someone living with mental illness, and the help that is now available through organizations like NAMI during the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce Luncheon May 2.

“NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness,” Herschberger said. “It is the largest grassroots mental health organization in the country. “

The organization provides advocacy, education, support, and public awareness in an effort so that those individuals affected by mental illness can live better lives.

With more than 600 local affiliates in 49 state organizations, including NAMI Tennessee in Nashville, the organizations operates thanks to the dedication of thousands of volunteers.

“Probably 90% of the people involved with NAMI are volunteers because we have a loved one in our life with a mental health condition,” Herschberger said.

Herschberger shared her story as the mother of someone living with a mental illness, and how NAMI has helped her better understand the struggles her daughter faces and how to best help her.

“In 2013 I was searching online for something that I could find to help her, to help me be able to understand her and I joined NAMI online,” she said. “I was contacted by the leader of the local NAMI support group who told me we have a local support group.”

Herschberger began attending the local support group for family members of those living with a mental illness.

“The first three months I attended I bawled all the time because I didn’t have to do this by myself anymore, I wasn’t alone,” she said. It is such a lonely feeling when you are dealing with a loved one with a mental health condition because you feel like you can’t talk to your friends because they don’t understand. Your family doesn’t understand, so you feel like you are the only person going through this.

Herschberger said the communication skills she learned through NAMI completely changed her relationship with her daughter, who is now 41 years old.

“I learned those new communication skills, I learned how to deescalate things with her,” Herschberger said. “I learned that mental illness is a brain disorder….she couldn’t help how she was feeling any more than someone with cancer could control how they were feeling.”

Herschberger decided to become involved with NAMI so that other people in her situation would not have to go through the same things alone that she did.

“If you have someone in your life with a mental health condition, don’t ever lose hope,” she said. ”You take it and when God gives you lemons you make lemonade. I think he gave my daughter this condition because he knew I would do something with it and I want to make a difference.”

NAMI Coffee County meets the first Thursday of every month from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 1101 Jackson St., Manchester. For more information, call 931-952-6871 or visit www.namicoffee.org.

In addition, NAMI will host its NAMI Walks fundraiser Saturday May 20 at Gateway Island in Murfreesboro. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. with the walk starting at 10 a.m. To register or donate, visit namiwalks.org/Tennessee.