Here's a tool that Villagers can use to locate support groups for loved ones with mental illness. This gets to support groups around the US including those in central Florida-- http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?section=Find_Support.

Checked link September 16, 2008.

[jerlinr1]

There is also an excellent Mental Health Counseling Center in our local area, the name of it is Upper Room Counseling Center, Inc.. It is located in Lady Lake on US 27 right next the the United Methodist Church. Their telephone number is 348-7165

Had some of my own experiences with depression brought on from my lack of finding employment in law or any other kind of librarianship due to my (1991 +) obsession with victims' rights information in libraries or accessible through libraries.

So, I do know a little but not very much about mental illness.

These local National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) groups seem to be very helpful though. Have contacted some of them from time to time trying to get them to help with getting practical information into libraries for crime victims as I am sure they get depressed too as would anyone who feels like he or she has little control over various events in his or her life.

For example, one Tennessee man in the military back on Findlaw's message boards in late 2003 was trying to get help for his former 20 year old or so girlfriend who had seen her mother get murdered when she was 6 or so. She was having serious mental health problems and had been picked up by the local (KY?) police but the cops let her go for some reason after only a few hours even though she was wandering around late one cold night with very little clothing on and had various scars on her arms from suicide attempts.

The Findlaw message board ex-boyfriend was looking for guidance on what he could do to help his friend.

Unfortunately, the young woman drove her car into oncoming traffic around New Year's Eve 2003 and died from her injuries not too soon afterwards.

Do think that groups like NAMI http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?section=Find_Support could have helped this man and his ex-girlfriend.

Hope that what I post on TOTV can help people too who are looking for useful information in the Support Group section.

Checked link August 31, 2008.