Tag: Support Groups

The Importance of Those Who Understand

The Importance of Those Who Understand

You know the moment when your bipolar episode takes over, but you don’t exactly notice it until a few seconds after it happened? Well, that happened to me yet again. I’m pretty sure I’m overthinking it, but simply put, I just say things I shouldn’t say. My mouth keeps going because my head won’t stop. I have dozens of thoughts all at once, and for me, I can see the connections. However, I know that what I’m saying doesn’t exactly make sense to others. This may be becoming one of those times, and if so, I apologize.

I openly discuss my bipolar disorder here, and with some of my family, generally with those that I feel or have shown to be understanding. Mental health is not an easy thing to understand, and I don’t want to put too much stress on anyone by telling them what’s happening, but I may have just done that. It will probably all be okay, but my mind has played out at least 30 different scenarios where I get in trouble. I wish I could stop this senseless thought wondering, but it’s part of who I am, and I just need to learn to deal with it a little better.

This is another reason why I find support groups so helpful. The friends that I’ve made at the support groups I’ve previously joined are there to help me through all sorts of events, even the ones that are only in my mind. I have become close with these individuals and I’m so grateful for that, especially with one individual. It’s a give and take relationship, but we empathize with and encourage each other. In my opinion, having someone who can empathize with me can make all the difference. Empathy is about being able to understand what someone is feeling because you have experienced it on your own, while sympathy is simply recognizing someone’s emotions and providing support. It makes me feel so much more comfortable knowing that I am not alone. That every thought and action, no matter how extreme, is also felt by others who love me.

This is not to negate the love and support from my family. Honestly, I prefer that they don’t completely understand my emotional state, I don’t wish that upon them at all. I’m grateful for the individuals that do not struggle with mental health issues. But for the individuals that can relate, it’s important to stick together. My husband keeps trying to get me to go to a new support group, and I put it off because I’m afraid. Yet now that I think about it, only good things can come from it as it has before.

 

The Importance of Support Groups

The Importance of Support Groups

There are many different types of treatment for any mental health disorder including but not limited to various types of medication, talk therapy, family education, rehabilitation, and support groups. I have especially found support groups to be helpful in dealing with and managing my bipolar disorder and PTSD. There are various types of support groups; some are for generalized mental health, while others specified for certain disorders.

I was very reluctant to go to a support group my first time because I was afraid. One of my PTSD symptoms causes me to be terrified of anything, especially anyone, that I don’t know. It’s a challenge for me to simply run errands; the thought of sitting next to another person and talking about my life seemed to be impossible. When I was in Connecticut, I researched support groups at my local hospital and found a weekly group called ‘Depression and Bipolar Support Group’. In the beginning, my mother came with me, she has always been extremely supportive of me in every way. It took many weeks to get comfortable with the others at the group, but soon, these individuals became close friends that I still talk to years later.

Going to a support group where the other people there have the same illnesses as you do is a comforting feature. I moved back to Arizona in 2009 causing me to leave my Connecticut support group and the friends I have there. Again, I was scared to start going to a new support group. Meeting new people and the intimacy of discussing what’s going on in your life and how you’re feeling is nerve-racking for me. My husband came with me in the beginning for this new group, ‘Taking Control’, which is also for bipolar and depression. Over time, the others in this group became my close friends who I still hang out with.

Each support group that I have been a part of has become a huge part of my life. The groups gave me a place to go and talk about my mental health issues where other people actually understand and relate to me. Sadly, my last support group was discontinued, but luckily I still talk to and see some other group members. I have found a new support group for bipolar depression called ‘Bipolar Bears’ (I love the name), but again, I’m extremely frightened to go. This is a new group for me, at a hospital that I’ve never been to, in a part of town that I don’t know. I’ve talked to a close friend from my last support group, and we have talked about going together; we will support each other, while we go to a support group. Now, I just have to get myself to actually do it.

Mental health support groups have helped me get through many difficult times and I suggest them to anyone and everyone who struggles with mental health. Being able to have people relate to the things we go through is a very comforting feeling. Meeting more people that help support you through your life is a blessing. Maybe this post will help me actually get to this new support group. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.