MURRAY – Fourteen years ago, if anyone had told Brenda Benson she would be making speeches, traveling to Frankfort to talk with legislators, or facilitating meetings of individuals and families affected by mental illness, she would have said, “No way!”
Her family’s experiences, however, motivated her and her husband to get active in NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, NAMI began in 1979 as a small group of families gathered around a kitchen table. Since then, it has become the nation’s leading voice on mental health, dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
Before NAMI, Benson and her husband struggled with the challenges of parenting an adult child diagnosed with a mental illness.
“We were trying to figure out what was going on. We had a diagnosis but no background in mental illness,” she said. “We were trying to learn what to do.”
When they joined the Paducah affiliate in 2009, they began to learn how to navigate the unknown, gaining valuable insights to guide their decision-making and improve their ability as parents in support of their son. NAMI’s Family to Family class provided strong support. Participants were trained by previously-trained families to learn how the brain works, what distinguishes one mental illness from another, the impact of medication, etc.
There was a lot to be learned.
“Mental disorders are a disease of the brain,” Benson explained. “And, like many other organs in the body, (the brain) can become ill. Neither the person or the families involved are at fault. It’s not a sign of weakness.”
Today, Murray is one of more than 600 local NAMI affiliates working to raise awareness and provide support and education for those in need. As steering committee chair, a volunteer position, Benson – for the past 14 years – has organized and conducted monthly meetings of the local family support group. The sessions are free, confidential and safe, with families helping other families helping each other.
“What is said here, stays here,” is a NAMI value.
In addition to leading the family group, Benson also volunteered on the state advocacy committee, which entails communicating with elected and appointed officials regarding mental health issues.
“I didn’t realize how broken the system was,” she admitted. “I started going to Frankfort. I had to take the lead. I guess if you’re passionate, it helps to step up.”
Now retired from her paying job, Benson and her husband look forward to traveling, visiting old friends and spending more time with their grandchild. As she transitions away from her NAMI responsibilities, she is seeking a volunteer to take the reins of the Murray group.
Citing the benefits of leadership, Benson shared her own takeaways.
“I’ve become a better parent,” she remarked. “I learned from others in the group about what has helped and what has not. We’ve become a family. We know each other’s stories. We can support each other.”
No matter what, her connection to mental health issues and activism will endure. “The NAMI group becomes a family itself. You become very close. The message family members seek is not complicated,” she said. “They need to be heard (and know) that they are not alone.”
Always dedicated to helping others, Benson ended the interview by naming two books that have increased her knowledge and understanding of mental illness. They are: “I’m not sick, I don’t need your help,” by Xavier Amador, and “Insane Consequences,” by D.J. Jaffee.
Both authors have lived experience with a family member with a mental illness, and both books are available through Amazon.com.
The next NAMI meeting is Thursday, August 15, 6:30 p.m. The group meets at the Murray-Calloway Hospital Wellness Center. For more information, contact Benson at 270-748-6133 or email brenda.benson@murraystate.edu.
Recipient of a Governor’s Award in the Arts, Constance Alexander has won numerous grants, awards and residencies for her poetry, plays, prose and civic journalism projects. She also serves on The Sentinel’s Board of Directors. Contact her at constancealexander@twc.com.
