Welcome to DBSA Middlesex County
We are a mood-disorder self-help support group affiliated with
the highly respected Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. DBSA is the
largest illness specific patient run organization in the US with over 1,000
groups.
People who are diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder (manic depression)
and their families are welcome. Our goal is to provide information about
diagnosis and treatment of this biochemical disorder, from a lay person's perspective.
Group meetings are held every Friday at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. Meeting starts in the Auditorium of the main hospital building at 7:30 pm sharp; meeting ends at approx. 9:15 pm.
A Wednesday daytime meeting at the Moving Forward Self-Help Center, 35 Elizabeth St (2nd floor), New Brunswick will begin on January 11, 2011. The group will meet weekly from 12 - 1 PM. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Contact DBSA Middlesex at middlesex@dbsanewjersey.org or 1-888-226-6437 to register and for additional information. You can also see our announcement for details.
Group meetings are also held every Monday at The YMCA in Metuchen, NJ, 65 High St., Metuchen 08840 732-548-2044. Meeting starts in the Preschool room upstairs at 7:30 pm sharp; meeting ends at 9:15 pm.
On the fourth Monday in Metuchen, there is a self-help support group meeting focusing on anxiety held simultaneously with the regular 7:30 pm meeting. For more information, contact us at the chapter phone number or e-mail address (upper right corner of this page), or call Gina at 732-575-6250.
Please follow the links on the left side of this page for more information.
Our groups and meetings are:
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led by "peer" trained facilitators (peer = other patients with a mood disorder)
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welcome family and friends with or without the
patient/consumer
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free of charge and no pre-registration required *
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an empowering experience free of charge and no pre-registration required
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host educational meetings usually with lectures by
doctors or other health professionals
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provide literature, including brocures published by DBSA national organization
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NOT a therapy group led by a mental health professional and do NOT give advice - we just share mutual experiences to educate and support each other.
Mood disorders can often be
controlled by medication. In addition, psychotherapy can be very helpful. Many people
have been successfully stabilized on medication and lead normal lives, and participate in our support group to help others. Support groups help during recovery. "You are not alone, we can help".
About Depression & Mania:
Common possible symptoms of depression
include:
• changes in appetite
• decreased or increased sleeping
• loss of energy and motivation
• inappropriate or exaggerated feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety,
impending disaster or doom
• exaggerated feelings of guilt
• unexplained aches and pains or ailments
Common possible symptoms of mania include:
• impaired judgment
• high energy level and increased activity/talking
• significant decrease in sleeping
• inflated self esteem (grandiosity)
• extreme irritability and/or restlessness
Other symptoms are possible. No one symptom determines the disorder. A
psychiatrist or psycho pharmacologist should be consulted for an evaluation.
* Voluntary donations are welcome, to defray costs of ordering brochures, making photocopies and other such expenses. We do not make a collection during the meeting. You can approach the facilitator if you wish to contribute. |
