Welcoming a new member into the group can be a powerful experience. What a bipolar individual needs to get out of that first meeting is the vital realization: “I’m not alone.” When that happens, you can see a 10-ton weight drop from her shoulders. This is often the first chance a person has ever had to discuss their illness among fellow patients. She’ll hear how someone flew into a dangerous road rage, or bought 20 pairs of shoes at once, or lost custody of their kids. You can read the look in that person’s eyes: “Yes, something like that happened to me.”
The relief is palpable. The experience is liberating. For once, no one is saying, “You’re crazy.” And no one will respond, “I’m going to raise your Risperdal.”
Instead, the individual may hear several people talking about challenges they share. They hear how people handle their road rage. Next thing you know, the new member has joined the conversation. “I get road rage, too,” he or she may blurt out. “Only it happens to me inside Wal-Mart and I want to mow everyone down with my shopping cart.”
Welcome home, you think.
Does Support Work?
There are no major scientific studies on bipolar support groups, and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to conduct one. The American Psychiatric Association in its 2002 Bipolar Treatment Guidelines singles out support groups, saying: “Patients in these groups often benefit from hearing the experience of others who are struggling with such issues as denial versus acceptance, of the need for medication, problems with side effects, and how to shoulder other burdens associated with the illness and its treatment.”
In my own experience, I’ve gathered that people who have attended support groups have learned how to accept their illness, acquired better coping skills, developed better insight into their illness, and find visits to their psychiatrists and therapists far more helpful.
Is Support for You?
By far the biggest obstacle patients face is getting out the door for the first time and walking into a group of strangers. Support groups are not for everyone, and they may not be right for you, but you won’t know until you’ve taken that very difficult and courageous first step.
Find a DBSA support group in your area.
Connect with other patients in the Bipolar Connection message boards.
