Whenever I attend a mental health support group meeting, I’m reminded of how important it is to talk about what we’re dealing with. I’m also reminded of how difficult the subject of mental illness can be to discuss in our usual social circles, sometimes even with close friends and family members. Stigma-induced fear and shame often silence us, causing us to suffer needlessly in isolation. In a support group, you can open up, release some of that emotional pressure, and lighten your load.

Perhaps more importantly, support groups enable you to tap the knowledge, experience, and wisdom of others to solve problems and avoid common pitfalls. Outsiders can offer a different perspective. They’re less emotionally involved and can think more clearly and objectively about a situation than those who are entangled in the chaos. They may even have had the same or a similar problem and can offer just the solution you need.

In addition, support group members are often a great source of information about local resources, including community mental health centers (CMHCs), which doctors and therapists they’ve had the most success with, which medications have helped them, self-help techniques, what to do and where to go for help in emergencies, and more.

The Internet is a great place to gather information, too, but it’s just not the same as sitting around with a group of people who’ve shared the experience of living with mental illness. In some cases, the Internet may even be counterproductive, enabling us to suffer in isolation while still believing that we’re doing everything we can to help ourselves. I think it’s important to reach out and establish human contact, and support groups help us do that.

If you’re not involved in a local support group, I encourage you to get involved. You can search for a local NAMI support group or local DBSA support group (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance) online.

If you have any stories of how a support group has helped you, please share, but remember to keep any sensitive information confidential.

Photo by Michael Coghlan, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

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    Last reviewed: 26 Apr 2011