There are over 297 mental illnesses around the world. About one out of four people will end up with a mental illness in their living course. One out of every ten children ends up with a mental illness (webmd.com).

On Jan. 21, Ann Arbor (Washtenaw County) had NAMI support group for young adults with siblings with mental illnesses. This gives teens a chance to ask questions about what and why their siblings act the way they do. This gives the teens a chance to express what they feel and see.

This is a free program anyone can enter and exit the group whenever they’d like. This allows people to see what’s   going on and what they talk about in the group. It’s every fourth Wednesday of the month from 7 to 9 p.m. The group’s leaders are Tracy Boudrie, Craig Wagner, and Hannah Rhodenhiser.

“I love helping kids that have a sibling or relative with a mental illness. It makes me feel good to help people that struggle with this kind of stuff. NAMI is an amazing support group. I hope to bring the support group into Monroe soon and make it easier for the people that live closer to Monroe to have free access too, “said Boudrie.

Many siblings love their sister or brother and look to the group for a way to understand what he/she is going through.

“I have a sister with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and sometimes it can be really annoying. It’s like she never sleeps when she stays over. I love my sister to death and sometimes it’s hard to cope with her mental illness; it drives me crazy and I know she can’t help it. I’m hoping that going to this support group and talking about it will make me better understand what’s going on in her head when she has her attacks,” said junior Kyle Groven.

This will be a great experience for any young adults with a sibling who has a mental illness to talk about what they see and what to do when something happens and they have an episode.