Self help support groups are great for this. I'm going to start going to the social phobia support group of Toronto next month, as I need to start expanding my network of support, and social phobia makes it kind of hard to do that LOL. Up here there's a National Mood Disorder's Association that has provincial and then regional offices, and they offer support groups and occassionally formal programs for depression and bipolar. I bet if you checked with NAMI, you'd be able to find out about local support groups, if there are any in your area. There are also club houses, and drop in's for the mentally ill, that you can just go to and hang out in - some require membership, some don't. When I was off work in 07 and trying desperately to stay sober, I went to a drop in that was funded by the ministry of health - I just had to show my health card. I could go there and just hang out and read the paper or talk to people, but they also had formal activities like a crafts day, yoga, walking, movie nights etc. Not sure how you'd go about finding those in your area - my rehab told me about the drop in I went to. Try googling mental health clubhouses.

You might also check to see if there are any telephone support lines, in your area. I don't mean a distress or crisis line, but a support line, that you can call just to talk. I volunteer on one, run by my psych hospital and we get people calling in who just need someone to talk to. There are a couple of other lines here that offer the same kind of support system, like the "warm line" which is run entirely by consumers. They're good if you just need a friendly ear.

Just some suggestions for places to start.

splitimage