how do you find a local support group?

How do you find a nearby support group to go to for bipolar? I know they have them in Houston and near the NASA area, but one in my local area, one that doesn't take longer than 20 minutes or so to drive to? I've thought about going to something like that, give it a try. It might or might not work, but I can't afford therapy, so it's worth a shot.

When I was in college though, I went to an eating disorder support group, and that wasn't good for me because it turned me competitive with all the other people there. Numbers weren't allowed, but of course, people talked them after the meeting. It was all very triggering. Even if Mary said something like, "I saw you at the gym today", I would start to wonder how long Mary had exercised, what she'd had to eat, and worry I hadn't done enough. I just had to stop going to it.

I would hope a BP group wouldn't turn me competitive, but who knows? I could go and desire to be the one most needing hospitalization.

Look up DBSA.( Depression and Bipolar Support) to see if there is a group in your area.

I think NAMI is one also, mainly for depression but I know a few people that go to that support group also.

I live in bfe literally the closest group through NAMI is 90 miles away in Nashville. There is a few about an hour away , not going drive that.

I hope you find something. Often churches host numerous meetings AA , NA etc might find a support group for MI there.

Good luck

My hospital OT recommends Recovery International. I think just check their website.

Recovery International is a great group but it’s not a traditional support group. It’s more of almost a CBT group. I have the book RI is based on and it’s great but like I said you don’t just go and share, you kind of work through incidents that have happened to you recently. I went to a meeting when I was in the hospital.

Thanks Wildfire. I didn't know that. I don't think that was explained well. Or I wasn't well enough to pay attention and I live in a far too rural area to have such things available.

So maybe scratch that one unless you are interested in CBT. Sorry.

Our local newspapers have extensive lists of support groups.
Our hospitals also have quite a list of groups as well.

In our area, the county mental health services makes pdocs and therapists available on a sliding scale fee basis.

We also have therapy/counseling offered through Catholic charities. These are not religion-based.

You might also find some offerings through your nearest United Way offices.

Just a couple of potential resources. I hope you can find something helpful.


WC

DBSA is challenging here. Informed sources agree the moderator is doing her married manager, but fortunately scandal is therapeutic.

I did find a support group nearby with the first link Deejay posted. It is nearby, and I may try it. The only problem is it is held at the church my brother-in-law's parents attend, and I would hate to bump into them there. That might make some family events awkward. I see them at all the family birthday parties for my nieces (that brother-in-law's kids; he has 3 girls). That is at least 3 times a year I see them and also at their church events like Vacation Bible School and the Halloween Trunk or Treat because their church has one of the best Halloween events. However, my brother-in-law's mother has some sort of disease (not fibromyalgia, something else, I'm not sure what it is) that tires her and affects certain of her muscles. Sometimes she has good days and sometimes not. My sister knows what it is and a lot about it (she has a double B.S. in both physical therapy & nutrition). So I think the mother goes out less and is less involved in the church. My sister says there are days she is supposed to babysit my nieces and has to call and cancel because of she is not feeling well, so my sister never counts on her for babysitting any more. Plus, the meeting is at 7 PM, so it is likely they'd be done with any church events by then.

It is a support group I think just for bipolar or bipolar and depression. I'm going to email the address they give and ask for more info, and call the number listed for it on Monday. It is very close to me, roughly a 10 minute drive, so I feel like it is worth trying, at least once. My husband is doesn't like to talk much about my mental health (he seems to prefer I take no meds and just deal with it, but of course, when I go manic and spend thousands of dollars quickly, he suddenly wants me at the pdoc ASAP). It would be nice to discuss it with people who understand since I have no one in real life to talk to about it. I don't think you can fully understand BP or panic attacks, other mental illeness unless you have been there yourself. Also, it would be free and not cost me like a T, and money is very tight.

I am a fan of CBT. That got me over my eating disorder. I believe it is the best way to recover from an eating disorder once you decide you want to recover (nothing works if you don't decide and stick to a recovery mindset). I never tried it for depression or BP though. What is the title & author of the RI book; I'd like to check it out.

I am pretty sure you would not run into these people you know for why would they be at the church at that particular time the meeting is held?

- Find the closest mental health association and get the information from them.
- contact the mental health ward at the hospital. They would likely know. They might even have an outpatient program for peer support.
- check your local free weekly newspapers. Where I used to live my support group advertised in them and it is from these ads that we got the most replies and new participants from.
- check with your clinic, doctor's office, T and Pdoc's offices.
- do they have '211' there. This is also a resource my old support group used which drew in participants.
- check with the schizophrenia society - most usually have a very good list of supports and resources for ALL mental illnesses
- and finally, contact your regional health authority

If there is a local large university medical school, google them, they might have a depression center or something. Ours had multiple support groups.

My area has both DBSA and NAMI meetings. They are the most formal meetings and have trained facilitators, mostly peer led. If you go to their websites you can find location look ups. Both organizations have many locations throughout the US. I know from a Canadian friend that Canada has similar groups, but under different names. I could always ask her for more details if there is an interested Canadian.

I suppose local libraries and hospitals could be places for mental health support groups. If they don't have one, you could always ask if they could set one up, at least temporarily. They can market/advertise such groups along with other ones they have.

Though much more casual, there are Meet Up groups for all sorts of things. If there isn't one in your area, you can create one yourself. Some are listed at All Bipolar Disorder Meetups - Meetup

I have really only been to DBSA meetings. I didn't find them competitive at all, but can't speak for others. Occasionally there was an annoying person I had to tolerate. Occasionally when my mood was elevated, people probably had to tolerate me. The facilitators are trained to recognize this and do their best to make the meetings as comfortable as possible.

There are 2 colleges nearby, but I would have thought you would have to be a student to use the support groups. That’s how my university worked.

Our local hospital actually has a horrible reputation, probably one of the worst in the Houston area, and that is saying a lot since Houston has a ton of hospitals. People tend to do all they can to avoid going there. The next nearest one, where I gave birth and had the ulcer taken care of is a 45 minute drive away.

The closest NAMI group meets near the hospital I used before, about a 45 minute drive. It looks like the DBSA group is the group I found that meets at the church. But I could just give it a try.

The book is called mental health through will training by Abraham low. It is only available second hand on amazon, though it MAY be in some larger libraries. It’s from the 1950s but still very relevant. I read it when I’m struggling to help me.

—-last I looked dbsa was looking for people to start new groups
Did you google this for yr area. In Phoenix the county runs many groups. If you are bipolar I would recommend a group specifically for that because many groups for depression really don’t cover bp well. I once found the best doctor who saved my sight from a rare eye disorder by talking to the chapter president of the association for the disease. These chapter leaders and founders know a lot.

—-you have changed yr mood indicator twice today. R u rapid cycling?