I apologize ahead of time for the long post. I am approaching my church to ask them to help me start a DBSA chapter. I'm having my first conversation next week. Below is the script I plan to use. Your feedback is appreciated. THANKS!

Ever since I was a teenager I have struggled with the mental illness of bipolar disorder. I would cycle through high-energy manic phases where I would feel energized, powerful and creative and often go several weeks with only one or two hours of sleep per night and often several days in a row with no sleep at all. This would be followed by many weeks to months of severe dark depression where I would totally lose the will to live. I would completely withdraw from friends, family, work and responsibility and slowly watch my world collapse around me. This would eventually be followed by another manic phase where I would "kick it in gear" and work round-the-clock to try to fix all the problems I caused during my dark depression.

Scientific research has shown that bipolar disorder is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. I definitely have both. Mental illness is practically a prerequisite to be in my family tree. We have alcoholics, drug addicts, child abusers, and even a psychotic murderer. Depression and even suicide are not strangers to my family.

I grew up in a physically and emotionally abusive home. The words, "I love you" were never spoken. Both parents suffered from mental illness and my father was also an alcoholic. My mother was filled with an uncontrollable rage and would often beat me. My father would ignore my cries for help and just seclude himself to the garage and drink until he passed out. From a young age, I felt that if I could achieve external things in life, my parents would accept me and I wouldn't be such a disappointment to both of them. My father was athletic, so I tried to impress him with sports. I only remember one baseball game of mine he went to. He showed up drunk, yelling obscenities and insults at me. He left half way through the game. From that day forward, I felt that I would never be good enough at sports, but I kept trying anyway. My parents divorced and my father left when I was 12, so I focused on academics to impress my mother in an attempt to gain her love and respect. I mistakenly thought my performance would bring me love, from my parents and from those around me. It took me years to realize how wrong I was.

As I grew older, the years of abuse had begun to take their toll and I began to fall apart. In high school I went from being an honor roll student with leadership positions and a three sport athlete to becoming a drop out my junior year. I battled with severe depression or extreme mania on a daily basis. Despite my emotional instability, I managed to pull myself together - well sort of - After six years and five different colleges, I finally earned my bachelors degree. I needed to prove to my family and the world that I was good enough and could achieve great things. This drove me to push myself further and harder as a young adult. After college, I served as an army officer, earned an MBA from a top ranked school and had a successful, decade-long career in the pharmaceutical industry.

As time passed however, my mental illness grew progressively worse. Manic episodes were no longer euphoric. They were governed by stress, anxiety and irrational behavior that cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars and destruction of several interpersonal relationships. This combined with my severe depression eventually cost me my career, my home and almost my marriage. Depression got so bad that I was no longer able to work. I couldn't think or concentrate on the simplest of tasks like making a basic grocery list. I would stay in bed for days, often sleeping 20 or more hours at a time without food or water.

During this entire time, not only was I undiagnosed, I was in denial that there was anything wrong with me. When I found myself in a psychiatric ward of a hospital after almost taking my own life, God finally got my attention and brought me to my knees. I received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder which was the beginning of self understanding, but far from the end of my journey. In many ways, things became more difficult. In less than two years time I was hospitalized two more times and partially hospitalized another two times while going through more than a dozen psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists as well as over a dozen different medications, most of which left me worse off than if I taken no medication.

All this was going on while I was an active member of our church, serving in the junior high ministry and involved in two small group Bible studies. I didn't want talk to anyone about what I was going through. I felt embarrassed, alone and ashamed. I felt like I was a bad Christian for letting fear, depression and anxiety rule my life. I felt like a failure as a husband and father for not being able to take care of my family. I couldn't even take care of myself.

When I finally got the courage to reach out to my closest Christian friends, I was met with the bewilderment and confusion. Even those who wanted to help admitted that they didn't understand. It felt like they all looked at me differently after I told them about my mental illness. Some friends asked a lot of questions. I'm sure it was well-intentioned, but it felt like an inquisition where I felt I needed to justify and defend myself.
I have prayed for years now that God heal me and make me whole… that he remove this thorn from my flesh. Despite best efforts from myself and my support team, I have not been made well, but I've learned to accept, at least for now, that God's grace will be sufficient for me. With therapy and medication, I have been able to better manage my symptoms, but each day remains to be a challenge. I spent years in a spiritual struggle trying to understand my mental illness. I have often asked God, "Why must I continue to suffer? Why won't you just heal me?"

Finally, I let my soul be quiet and listened to God. I removed myself from my situation and thought about the 18.8 million Americans making up 9.5% of the US population who are currently suffering from depression. 15% of them will successfully commit suicide. I considered how many people fail to realize the devastating impact of depression on our community. Depression is the number one cause of disability in the world for persons five or older and will be the second largest killer after heart disease by 2020. Depression also contributes to heart disease. A depressed person is four times more likely to have a heart attack.
I thought to myself, "This is not okay. There are people all around us every day who feel forsaken, forgotten and misunderstood." God has given me an empathy for these people that I can't ignore. I know and feel their struggle because I battle with it myself every single day.

True depression goes far beyond just feeling sad. It is a complex mental illness that is extremely difficult to overcome. Most standard treatments for depression are not adequate. Antidepressant medications work only about 30% of the time which is equal or less than placebo. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy recommended by most mental health professionals, has a long-term relapse rate of 80%. Recovery from depression ultimately requires addressing the underlying relationship causes of depression, not simply symptoms such as chemical in balance and depressive thoughts. This is why healing both the relationship environment and the whole person is vital in preventing relapse.

Studies show the most effective ways to combat depression are: Maintain good relationships, have a safe supportive nonjudgmental group environment, create a supportive social network, meditation and prayer, and fostering spiritual beliefs and a sense of purpose and sharing them with others.

In any given week, hundreds of people walk through our church's doors in serious pain, but we may never hear about most of them because they remain silent. 54% of people believe depression is a personal weakness. 41% of depressed women are too embarrassed to seek help even though women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men. 92% of depressed African-American males do not seek treatment. The result is 80% of all depressed people are not currently having any treatment at all.

These people suffer in silence while being riddled with guilt, confusion, shame, anxiety and loneliness. Many Christians fall deeper into depression after multiple failed attempts to "pray away" their depression. They feel like bad Christians and that they are lacking in faith or that they are being punished by God. When I was admitted into the mental ward at the hospital, I told one of the counselors where I went to church. She just rolled her eyes at me and muttered, "Yea, we get a lot of you people coming through here." I became really upset that she seemed to have a very negative impression of our church. From her perspective, our church does something to mess people up… to make them depressed and suicidal. Then they come running to her for help.

As I talked to the therapist more, together we came to the conclusion that many people who are already struggling, both the churched and un-churched, come to a point where they seek out God. Many of those people will go to our church and have an experience that brings powerful feelings and emotions to the surface. Our church has several ministries for people with specific needs: addiction, grief support, divorce recovery, financial needs, cancer support, food, employment and the list goes on. There is no publicized ministry for those dealing with depression and anxiety in and of itself.

People being helped by many other church ministries are dealing with depression such as: 25% of cancer patients experience depression and 27% of people with substance abuse disorders experience depression. Depression rates are six times higher in men following a divorce and 3.5 times higher in women. Studies have also showed that the occurrence of major depression is more than double in unemployed men.
The devastating impact of depression extends far beyond the individual and is felt, often in very painful ways, by the friends, family and loved ones of those suffering. Virtually every single person will be directly impacted by depression at some point in life.

I can no longer ignore the promptings from God. It is time for me to stand up and say, "This is not okay!" I had to ask myself, "How strongly do you feel about this? Is this something you are willing to devote your life to? Is this something you are willing to die for?"

After much prayer and soulful contemplation, I now realize how important this is to me and that it is worth dying for. Depression almost claimed my own life. Suicidal depression claims 30,000-40,000 lives each year in the US alone. It is the 11th leading cause of death and the THIRD leading cause of death in young people ages 15-24.
I truly believe that the church is to serve as God's voice and heart to those feeling alone and forgotten. We need to let people know that God hasn't forgotten them and will never forsake them. My daily suffering now has meaning. I feel and understand the suffering of these people in a way I can't describe. The intense range of emotions I experience has now become a blessing and not the curse I have seen it as my whole life. I have found empathy that permeates my soul.

Each day, my mission in life is further revealed with increasing clarity. I must help people suffering from depression and bipolar disorder, show them love, and help them get the resources and support they need.
I have recently become an Ambassador for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. I have begun to reach out to my 16,911 business contacts in an effort to educate them about this great problem and its impact on our society. I am also working to raise awareness by educating my 50,000 Twitter followers about depression and bipolar disorder. I have also written several chapters of a book designed to raise awareness, educate, and fight the stigma of depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder within the church.

Most importantly, I am working to assemble a team to help me start the only faith-based chapter of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance in the state of Illinois.
I've been praying fervently that our church, or at least members of its leadership will consider partnering with me to create a Christ-centered support group to help those suffering and in need. Equally important is the creation of a support system for the family and love ones of those fighting depression.

I can accomplish this in many ways, but there are two options that stand out to me right now. First, I can create my own separate non-profit corporation that will be a stand-alone Christian affiliate of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. I would ask several members of our church's leadership to serve on the Board of Directors. So far, I want to ask: (list of names). I also have a Christian Psychologist to serve as a clinical advisor. It is important to note however, that DBSA is a peer led support group that is not intended to replace medical or psychiatric care or counseling in any way. It is meant to provide love, understanding, education, and a sympathetic ear. I would then approach the church and request that the church be willing to allow use of space for weekly support group meetings.

My second option is to ask that the church consider adding this type of support ministry to the list of community outreach programs already in place. I know this is asking a lot and is a very lofty goal, but I feel very strongly that this is a much needed ministry that fits in with virtually every community ministry at our church. I could personally oversee everything and manage the entire ministry. I could financially support the program myself and require nothing from the church except a place to meet. I would work hard to network with the community, all of the local ministries, care center, pastors on call, etc. to build awareness and a strong support mechanism for individuals and families battling the impacts of depression.

Can you help me?