COEUR d’ALENE — About one in five adults experiences mental health issues. That’s roughly 61.5 million people nationally. 

For people with mental health issues or for those watching a loved one struggling and unsure how to help, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a free resource ready to offer assistance. 

NAMI hosted an introductory meeting May 13 to share the range of services they offer in North Idaho, both in person and virtually. 

Nearly two dozen people met in the student union building at North Idaho College to learn about resources available through NAMI Coeur d'Alene in Benewah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties. 

“Mental health isn’t something that you can see,” NAMI Coeur d'Alene Executive Director Jill Ainsworth said. “It’s an equal opportunity illness. If you walk into work limping, people know something happened to you, but people don’t always see the struggles someone has had to go through.” 

NAMI began in 1979 to help individuals and their loved ones gain mental health resources to gain better lives. 

“There is support for them and this support is free without judgment and with compassion. They don’t have to walk this journey alone,” Ainsworth said. 

Today, only about half of the people who need help go untreated.   

NAMI Coeur d’Alene Board President Kate Dolan said the average delay between onset of mental illness and treatment is 11 years. 

“That’s a long time to go without care,” Dolan said.  

Among youth, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 24.  

One in seven youth (ages 6-17) experiences a mental health disorder, and according to data compiled nationally, only about 56% of schools say they can treat all students experiencing mental health issues. 

About 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% of mental illnesses occur by age 24. 

Dolan said that help is there for people of all backgrounds and all mental health illnesses if they need it.  

“We believe in recovery wellness and the potential in all of us,” Dolan said. 

The first step is recognizing the need for mental health tools and being willing to seek assistance. 

Equity and justice for all are also cornerstones of NAMI’s mission. Part of that begins with legislative advocacy and mental health awareness.  

“Part of this is becoming more empathetic for people who do have a mental illness,” Dolan said. 

During the last NAMI Day on the Hill, NAMI advocates raised their voices about cuts to mental health resources to sound the alarm about how the cuts would impact society. 

“They spoke with congressional representatives and were really instrumental in rollbacks of some cuts on a federal level to mental health care,” Dolan said. 

NAMI has free weekly evening meetings on the first, second, third and fourth Tuesdays, with in-person and digital options. The Support group is for ages 18 and older. 

Beginning in September, the group will host a series on mental health topics from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month through December at NIC in the Meyers Health and Sciences Building, room 103. The series runs through April 2027. 

"No one is alone,” Ainsworth said.   

NAMI Peer Connection Support Group meetings take place in person and virtually between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on the first, second, third and fourth Tuesdays each month at Father Bill's Kitchen, 1317 N. First St., Coeur d'Alene.

Call or text 988 if you need mental health support or the NAMI helpline at 1-800-950-6264. 

More information about NAMI Idaho: https://namiidaho.org/about-nami-idaho/.

    Kate Nolan shares some mental health statistics and resources available in North Idaho on Wednesday, May 13, during an introductory meeting at North Idaho College.