formally Ten Broeck Hospital 6300 Beach Boulevard
Monday Night Affective Disorder Support GroupWhy self-Help Works: Five Good Reasons
Self-help for people with a mental illness aids in the process of symptom reduction in five ways.
First, Self-help provides a social network based on common experience. Recipients of mental health services are often isolated due to stigma and discrimination within and outside of the mental health system. In this situation, socialization becomes an acute problem. When recipients come together in a self-help setting, they share common experiences which lead readily to the formation of social relationships.
Second- Self-help facilitates people moving from the role of always being helped to helping.
Always being helped makes one feel helpless. It is a demeaning role in society, which leads to low self-esteem and a bad self-concept, which in turn makes one especially prone to feeling anxiety more often.
This role of being a helper is very valued in our society, and leads to good self-esteem and a good self-concept, thus providing a buffer from anxiety and repeated crises.
Third- is self-help groups share specific ways of coping from experience.
Fourth- Those who successfully cope serve as role models for people who less successfully cope.
Fifth- Self-help provides some meaningful structure for people which is not imposed from the outside but self-generated from the members themselves.
DBSA Chapter Outcomes Through the four chapter functions, the exemplification of our chapter principles, and the dedication to our mission, policies and guidelines, we, as DBSA chapters, work toward the following outcomes: o Help people successfully manage their disease. o Provide emotional support and the wisdom of experience to patients, families and friends. o Build self-esteem and empower participants to actively improve their life, and the lives of others affected by depression or bipolar disorder. o Eliminate discrimination and stigma related to depression and bipolar disorder. o Reach all individuals in the community affected by depression or bipolar disorder with opportunities for support and empowerment o Educate chapter participants and the public -- through programs and resources -- about mood disorders. o Help participants rediscover strength and humor they may have thought they had lost DBSA Chapter Principles o Focus on self-help Each person has the ability to help themselves. Together we all know more than one of us alone. Everyone has value and something to add to the group process. Each of us is the authority on what we need. o Peer-leadership We are all equals. Our chapters are governed by our participants, and our support groups are led by patients or friends/family of patients. o Confidentiality No one may publicly reveal information about the people attending chapter activities, or what is said during a support group meeting. Exceptions to this policy are made only when the safety of an individual is in danger. o Safety and Acceptance Chapter activities and support groups are welcoming to all, and foster a nurturing atmosphere. o Consistency Chapter services are offered at consistent times and places for the comfort of participants. o Accessibility Support groups are free of charge, and all activities are accessible to anyone who can benefit from them.
