Wow Nomad, I am so sorry you had a bad experience with your NAMI group. I love our NAMI here in Ca. I took a great class called Family to Family. It was a 12 week class chucked full of great info., behavior statatgies and better ways to communicate with my difficult child with Early Onset Bi-Polar (EOBP). The info. on medications was the best. I understand so much more about mental illness after taking the class. Our teachers where parents with children who have a mental illness, so they have experienced what we as students were dealing with at home.
Maybe there is another support group that you could try or maybe start yourself with the Nami leaders help. Just a thought.
Hugs..