The Tyler affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is registering participants for its 12-week Family-To-Family class, which will be held from 6-9 p.m. beginning Oct. 1 at Shiloh Road Church of Christ. The class is intended for caregivers of mentally ill family members.

The course is taught by and offered to those who have a loved one with one of the following serious mental illnesses:

major depression

bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression

schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

borderline personality disorder

panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder

co-occurring brain disorders and addictive disorders

post-traumatic stress disorder

The Family-to-Family curriculum provides participants with clear, accurate, and practical information on topics such as the biology of mental illness, medications and research, crisis management, communication skills, problem solving, self-care, advocacy and recovery.

The weekly classes are structured to help each family member understand and support a relative while maintaining their wellbeing.

The course was written by an experienced mental health professional who recognized the lack of clear information for families while attempting to help her mentally ill son.

More than 300,000 family members around the globe have taken the course.

The class is free, but because space is limited. Participants must register.

Class members may include parents, siblings, children, spouses and significant others of persons with severe and persistent mental illness.

For more information or to register, call Janet Helgesen at 903-561-3792 or Mildred Witte at 903-245-4231.