I was first diagnosed in 2006, and since then have had some real tough times, just as all do with this disease. One of the things that helped me through these tough times has been local DBSA groups. I found these groups through the years are invaluable and necessary for my overall mental health. For a while, I made a 34 mile round trip once a week to attend a group. I had to go without a group for a while and then one started up very close to home. I did not realize how much I had come to rely on groups until I did not have one to go to. Thankfully the groups had given me many skills to keep me going during that time. Sometimes though, when things are real rough, we tend to forget what we have learned. This is when DBSA groups can really benefit.
Recently I had a pretty rough time for about six weeks and group was vital to my getting through it. So what did the group members do? Nothing earth - shattering. No new skills imparted. They just listened, commiserated, empathized, understood, and were just there. There is great comfort in knowing you can say what you need to, talk about just about anything and know that someone there has been through something similar or has had thoughts just like you have. They understand you better than most anyone else can, sometimes better than we do ourselves, better than our own family. There may not be anything they can do to help your particular situation but just knowing there are others that truly understand is very valuable.
What about the times we are doing well, when we are not having a difficult period? That is when groups can be even more beneficial because we are now in a position to help someone else. We are now able to listen, understand, empathize and just be there for another. Maybe we can now impart some gem that assisted us to get through an especially trying time that they now can use.
DBSA groups are one of a number of things that can help us. Things like medications, talk therapy, and coping skills are also tools we use. Had I not been already convinced that groups were beneficial, after my last crisis there would have not been any question. I firmly believe that group attendance was what kept me from being re-admitted to the hospital because I was really close to checking myself in.
Because a DBSA group has been such a great assistance for me for many years, and disseminates such beneficial information and skills, I hope to someday become a Facilitator myself.
