Joining a Support Group

By Debra Hoppe

This is part five of the recovery plan. To join a group means that you are serious about your recovery plan. You are willing to take that step toward a better you. I myself have been in groups since I was 14 years old. In and out of psychiatric hospitals since that time so I know a few things about group settings.

The one that helped me the most was the one in Amarillo, Texas when I was just a kid. I learned that I could accomplish anything I set my mind toward without anyone laughing at me or pointing a finger at me. I have since learned that people are cruel and do laugh at you but that is because they don’t understand what you are going through and don’t take into consideration the feelings you may be experiencing. Remember, people with mental illnesses are people too and deserve to be treated the same way as people that don’t suffer from a mental illness. The stigma that is so prevalent out there needs to be broken and we are the only ones that can do that. That is why a group setting is so important. It will teach you how to overcome stigma and join in the fight against people that want to look at you as disabled.

I have a certification to mentor a gathering called Peer to Peer. It is a nine week course that teaches a person how to deal with their disorders be it bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or major depression. It is a peer run course that is a very comfortable setting and I enjoyed mentoring a group of 7 people. It taught me how to not be only an inspiration to myself but to others as well. I learned a great deal about myself and the whole group. If you ever have the opportunity to experience a Peer to Peer course then please don’t hesitate. You will find the experience to be utterly refreshing.

I also have a certification in In Our Own Voice which gives me the opportunity to tell my personal story. It is an hour and a half long group that deals with my feelings all the way back to when I was a child to present day. I tell about how I was put into a mental facility and how I survived two comas all in the 52 years I have lived. I can tell you some happy and sad times of my life but the main thing is that I am not letting my disorder pull me down. I am making a difference in people’s lives as well as people making a difference in mine. I hope I have made a difference in yours.

Until next time when we will be studying how not to give up in your everyday life and how to keep fighting for what you believe in. Thank you for your time and I will see you next time. Take care and God bless.