Mental Health Awareness Week

October 4 – 10, 2015 is Mental Health Awareness Week. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports 1 in 25 Americans are affected with a mental illness. VA continues to offer programs, treatments and services to Veterans through our Veterans Health system. We continue to meet the needs Veterans have with mental illness. When a Veteran has a mental illness, the whole family is affected. Family caregivers have many worries with caring for a Veteran with mental illness. Some of the reported worries are job loss, financial problems, emotional volatility in the home, fear of abuse or violence and things will never get back to normal.

As a result of these caregiving worries, caregivers may have burnout. Caregiver burnout left untreated can lead to a more chronic mental illness. This link has some warning signs: http://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Family-Members-and-Caregivers. VA Caregiver Self Care courses offer Caregiver training opportunities, tips and resources. Please visit our website atwww.caregiver.va.gov for more information on our Caregiver Self Care courses.

With VA's Caregiver Support Line assistance is just a quick phone call away. Whether you're in need of immediate assistance or have questions about what services you may be eligible for, the caring licensed professionals who answer the support line can:

Tell you about the assistance available from VA.

Help you access services.

Connect you with the Caregiver Support Coordinator at a VA Medical Center near you.

Just listen, if that's what you need right now.

If you're just getting started with VA, calling the Caregiver Support Line is a great first step to take to learn more about the support that's available to you.