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Tuesday
February 9, 2010 Since 1922 |
Bipolar support group forming
By Tara Sullivan
The Baytown Sun Published July 21, 2008 According to the Texas Medical Center, 2.3 million American adults suffer from bipolar disorder, a mental condition characterized by manic highs and devastatingly depressive lows.
The disorder strikes indiscriminately, affecting the young and old alike, and people of all races, religions and creeds.
Even the rich and famous are not exempt from bipolar disorder’s emotional rollercoaster. Mental-Health-Today.com reports that celebrities Jim Carey, Ben Stiller and Robin Williams have been clinically diagnosed.
This summer, the Greater Houston Chapter of the nationwide organization known as the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance reached out to Baytown.
DBSA Program Coordinator Jill Ahrens said the formation of the Baytown support group was spurred on by calls from locals looking for someone to talk too.
“We have been getting a lot of calls from the east,” she said. “We’re trying to make sure everyone has somewhere to go.”
Founded in 1985, the DBSA is a not-for-profit 501c3 organization focused on treating and managing mood disorders. The group touts a 65-member Scientific Advisory Board made up of industry-leading researchers and scientists that approve all DBSA programs and publications.
The Greater Houston chapter of the DBSA currently has 25 group locations, including the newly formed Baytown arm.
One of the main goals of the DBSA is to ensure that people with mood disorders are treated fairly and equitably.
“It’s normal,” said Ahrens. “It’s part of the DBSA’s mission to lessen the stigma attached to mental illness.”
Ahrens said the Baytown group is a free, confidential place where those affected by bipolar disorder (that is, those diagnosed and also their spouses, family, friends, etc.) can talk freely.
“We try not to get into therapy mode,” she said. “Our focus is on the future and what has worked. People can just listen to what others are experiencing and decide for themselves what to do.”
The group is open to anyone interested who is at least 18 years old.
DBSA groups all feature trained-facilitators and/or licensed counselors.
Ahrens said participation varies by location, but generally groups are divided into meetings of no more than 10 at a time.
“Attendance really varies,” said Ahrens.
She said in Tomball, there are 40 people who meet weekly; while in the Galleria there is a core group of about five.
Several individuals have been coming to the Baytown group already, though Ahrens said that new groups usually take some time to pick up in attendance.
“Everyone’s first time is difficult to go,” she said.
Still, Ahrens said that DBSA studies show that people report feeling better once they begin going to these types of groups.
The groups offer a forward-looking, positive approach to bipolar disorder management, stressing that mood disorders are not the abnormality, but the norm.
Supporting this idea, the Texas Medical Center reports that 90 percent of all Americans will experience some form of mood disorder within their lifetime.
The Baytown Meeting of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. at the Texas Child and Family Institute, located at 6730 Independence Boulevard, Suite 300, in Baytown.
For more information on the Baytown group or the DBSA, visit www.dbsahouston.org or call 713-600-1131.
The Baytown Sun Published July 21, 2008 According to the Texas Medical Center, 2.3 million American adults suffer from bipolar disorder, a mental condition characterized by manic highs and devastatingly depressive lows.
The disorder strikes indiscriminately, affecting the young and old alike, and people of all races, religions and creeds.
Even the rich and famous are not exempt from bipolar disorder’s emotional rollercoaster. Mental-Health-Today.com reports that celebrities Jim Carey, Ben Stiller and Robin Williams have been clinically diagnosed.
This summer, the Greater Houston Chapter of the nationwide organization known as the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance reached out to Baytown.
DBSA Program Coordinator Jill Ahrens said the formation of the Baytown support group was spurred on by calls from locals looking for someone to talk too.
“We have been getting a lot of calls from the east,” she said. “We’re trying to make sure everyone has somewhere to go.”
Founded in 1985, the DBSA is a not-for-profit 501c3 organization focused on treating and managing mood disorders. The group touts a 65-member Scientific Advisory Board made up of industry-leading researchers and scientists that approve all DBSA programs and publications.
The Greater Houston chapter of the DBSA currently has 25 group locations, including the newly formed Baytown arm.
One of the main goals of the DBSA is to ensure that people with mood disorders are treated fairly and equitably.
“It’s normal,” said Ahrens. “It’s part of the DBSA’s mission to lessen the stigma attached to mental illness.”
Ahrens said the Baytown group is a free, confidential place where those affected by bipolar disorder (that is, those diagnosed and also their spouses, family, friends, etc.) can talk freely.
“We try not to get into therapy mode,” she said. “Our focus is on the future and what has worked. People can just listen to what others are experiencing and decide for themselves what to do.”
The group is open to anyone interested who is at least 18 years old.
DBSA groups all feature trained-facilitators and/or licensed counselors.
Ahrens said participation varies by location, but generally groups are divided into meetings of no more than 10 at a time.
“Attendance really varies,” said Ahrens.
She said in Tomball, there are 40 people who meet weekly; while in the Galleria there is a core group of about five.
Several individuals have been coming to the Baytown group already, though Ahrens said that new groups usually take some time to pick up in attendance.
“Everyone’s first time is difficult to go,” she said.
Still, Ahrens said that DBSA studies show that people report feeling better once they begin going to these types of groups.
The groups offer a forward-looking, positive approach to bipolar disorder management, stressing that mood disorders are not the abnormality, but the norm.
Supporting this idea, the Texas Medical Center reports that 90 percent of all Americans will experience some form of mood disorder within their lifetime.
The Baytown Meeting of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. at the Texas Child and Family Institute, located at 6730 Independence Boulevard, Suite 300, in Baytown.
For more information on the Baytown group or the DBSA, visit www.dbsahouston.org or call 713-600-1131.