MARQUETTE — Family members and friends of individuals with a mental illness may benefit from a 12-week Family to Family education course to be offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness Alger/Marquette from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesdays from Sept. 17 through Dec. 3 at 129 W. Baraga Ave. in Marquette. The classes are free and confidential.

The course will cover a broad range of topics, including information about schizophrenia, mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and major depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

This will be the 15th time this class has been offered in the area by trained educators. To date, more than 250,000 family members in 48 states across the country have completed the course.

The course is designed specifically for parents, siblings, spouses, teenage and adult children, significant others and friends of people with a mental illness. It also can help people understand this is an illness and not something they can just “deal with it, shape up,” as most times those dealing with such conditions have no control over their actions.

Registration for the classes should be done by Sept. 16; however, new class members will be accepted until Oct. 1. For more information or to register, contact Louise Wilcox at 906-235-0231 or Cindy Bertucci at 906-360-7107.