Support groups...

When my fiancee Matt was first diagnosed, we went to a local support group. It wasn't long before we stopped going. Some of the people had a good grip on their BD, their meds, their triggers, etc. and were beyond helpful with info and websites (keeping in mind that no one, including the person who ran the group, were not qualified to give actual medical advice-but they shared what they knew from experience). The majority of the people, however, scared me to death. They represented the worst of the worst-the people who were drowning in their disorder. They were the ones who didn't listen to their doctors, stopped taking their meds on a whim, and were borderline suicidal/homicidal, manically having sex with whoever, doing drugs, etc. I had an anxiety attack because I was convinced that Matt was going to do all of the above things, despite his aversion to drugs and alcohol and the fact that he has no history of these behaviors. Having little prior knowledge of BD, I thought those things were the norm for everyone, and thus, my anxiety ensued. On the other hand, he wanted to stop going because he didn't get anything out of it. The meetings became less about helping people, and more about people fighting for attention and trying to convince the others to stop their meds-because in their head, they were all "experts". I think if the group had been run by an actual clinician, it would have been more helpful and they would've been able to put all the experiences people were sharing (esp. the bad ones) into context.

Anyone been to a support group? Was it helpful to you or your family?

I have not yet...but now I'm afraid to. LOL I like it here on this forum. It has been really helpful. All kinds here, and everyone is helpful, supportive, and friendly.

Oh, don't be scared away! I think the best place to find help is through a hospital. They always have tons of support groups run by people who are qualified to help. I regret not looking there first.
I do like these forums a lot. It's no pressure, no one here is trying to be an "expert". And it's the internet-you're bound to find someone who is going through what you are going through.

After I was first diagnosed I was put on medical leave from work. During this time I went to a group therapy program that was run by mental health professionals (P-docs, psychologists and social workers). It was 8 hours/day 5 times/week. It was a lot of hard work, but it made a huge difference in my recovery. I learned a lot from the mental health professionals and the members of the group.

I went to a bipolar education group that was once a week for 3 months. It was excellent. Each week they brought in a speaker (i.e. p-doc that specializes in sleep disturbances, persons that were diagnosed etc.)

I had tried a weekly support group and I found it wasn't helpful. There wasn't any structure to it and it was just a time for people to talk about their week. I prefer therapy groups that are run by a mental health professional(s) and for support groups I prefer PC.

No group is helpful to every person who comes to attend it. We all seek different things from a support group. I have, in the past, found it to be helpful, but I no longer attend.

I have been envolved with several...the most helpful have been practitioner led meetings...STEPPS Program (20 week program led by 3 therapists), Outpatient Therapy (led by a therapist), and IPR (Intensive Pyschiatric Rehabilitation) which is led by a practitioner.

There aren't any BP support groups in my area. When I move I'm going to be sure to find one that has the benefit of a professional. Reading this post was helpful.

I was always anti-groups. For some reason I always thought "a room full of BPs in different states of minds = chaos" ... this was though until last year. I was hospitalized for about 5 days May 2010 and of course, 'group' was mandatory in order to see the light of day again. I never really opened up too much, just enough to get participation points and increase my chances of going back home.

Then - my pdoc who happened to work at that same psych hospital, told me he would let me go home only if I agreed to do IOP. (Intensive Outpatient Program) Basically I had signed up to coming to group every day from 9am until 2pm. I was dreading it!!

I ended up looking fwd to it!! We had a pdoc running it, and the whole floor had groups going on. We got free breakfast and lunch, and I made some friends. Yes, there are all sorts of people there in all sorts of parts of the healing process. BUT, every day was a different topic and we tried to get to everyone's daily issues.

I was able to cook again and have a little more confidence in myself towards having a happy life knowing I wont be able to work a normal 9-5 job again. So in a nutshell, my view of group was changed after giving it a shot. BUT IT REALLY SHOULD BE LED BY A PROFESSIONAL!!

I have a husband that is Bipolar. He sees a therapist every 2 weeks. I go in there with him and we discuss a lot of things together. I really think it has helped me to better understand his problems. But now I feel like I might need a therapist myself because I have found myself doing things to keep him from going over the edge. It has started to take a toll of me now,so try to help him but try also to help yourself.

I'm glad that you all have had positive group experiences. I think everyone reaches a point where they realize "ok, maybe talking to other people in the same boat as me would be a good idea". Groups run by clinicians are better for obvious reasons, but unless that person has gone through BD, it sometimes feel as though they are talking AT you, not to you. I think all doctors do that at some point. Matt's psych dr. does-when she bothers to talk to him at all. But that is a whole 'nother subject. :P

I am definitely pro-group. Especially for couples, like goingcrazy52 mentioned. Sometimes it opens doors for those of who aren't going through BD to deal with our own issues.

Support groups like you are talking about are usually lead by peers, not professionals. Therapy groups are run by professionals such as pdocs, tdocs and social workers. That being said, I go to a support group that is facilitated by a psychiatric nurse. She does not offer medical advice and just tries to keep us on topic and pull people into the discussion. I usually like it but don't "need" it. The functioning of the group is determined by the people who attend it more so than by the person who leads it.

I have found that most pdocs are not very friendly. I try to crack jokes and be friendly and I rarely even get a smirk in return ... and this has been with ALL my pdocs!!

Tdocs on the other hand, they're all about talking and listening. I have made some great friends from previous tdocs.

Wow, sorry you had that experience, Moose2.
Yeah, no structure is frustrating. I do go to a (peer led) support group pretty regularly. Yup, people talk about their week, then there is general discussion (which, btw, does not mean everyone talking all over each other . It's a time for people to discuss some things that may have come up, express empathy...like that). It is structured in that there are rules. Which is nice, because otherwise, things tend to get pretty chaotic (think about any group, lol, it's sure not just psych stuff! ) There are quite a few, but they are common sense in avoiding just such a situation. Some examples... speaking from "I" statements (ie. no "you should"), no cross-talking, not judging someone's pain to be less than your own, etc. For support, PC is my go-to choice. But still I usually attend the other because otherwise I'd know no one IRL that "gets it", and it's nice to have that contact (and get out of the apt.(!)) That meeting is the extent of my social life anymore, sad but true. So I find it useful in those ways.

I found the first time going to a support group was not helpful. I decided to give it another chance and it was benefical. As well as for me and my husband we to have been able to help others. Especially cause I deal with the issue of going to someone who has not dealt with the illness first hand and just learned from a text book. How can they possible fully understand what I go through. So hearing from others who do have to deal with the same thing really helps me and my husband. I do aggree that it did feel like it could of been run differently but we will take what we can from it. There is always room to improve if we share what we may need in the support group they were open for suggestions as to bringing in speakers and other options.

Support groups can be hit-or-miss. The best support group experience I have ever had was with a DBSA (the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance) affiliate in the Boston, MA area. It was a very widely attended group with a lot of resources. There were enough people to split up into different sub-interests. A group for people with bipolar, people with depression, family members, a creativity group, spirituality, etc. Once a month they would have guest speakers (such as Kay Redfield Jamison, "Electroboy", and the occasional non-consumer researcher or clinician giving a layman's presentation on current psych issues). It was entirely peer-driven. As a rule, all DBSA groups have to have a clinician on-hand for guidance if needed, but they don't usually go to the meetings but are on-call if needed. The group leaders have specialized facilitator training they go through, to help keep the group focused and civilized if emotions get too high. It really is one of the flagship groups for the organization, and I miss it quite a bit. If anyone in the Boston area wants to know more about it, feel free to PM me.

i have found a great online support group that meets mo tues weds and fri on the dbsa dbasalliance.org

depression bipolar alliance

it also has forums. but i have found the live support group quite helpful.

i hope this helps

Just wondering is NAMI and DBSA within the same. Sorry if dumb question still learning what options I have. The DBSA support group we really did not like but I still want to go cause I feel like I belong somewhere now. You know others without MI just don't get it as much as others who deal with it. I found NAMI website and they have several programs that sound interesting peer to peer, family support (caregivers/family/friends), and connection recovery for the bipolar/depression and family support. I hope to get better information there.