With the shift in mental health care from state institutions to community-based treatment centers and support services, there is much more interaction between individuals with serious mental illness, their families, and all types of community agencies. These include local police departments, social welfare offices, emergency shelters for the homeless, drop-in centers or day shelters, Legal Aid, public defenders, and probation/parole officers.
Families with seriously mentally ill relatives need to become acquainted with the services of these agencies and enlist their participation in a support network, for both the ill person's sake and the family's sake. It may be possible, but it's neither practical nor healthy for a family to try to go it alone.
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Vermont
