Depression

Support and resoruces

Depressive illnesses affect all of us—whether we are depressed ourselves, touched someone in our family, our workplace, or our circle of friends. The good news is that support and help are available, and this page suggests places you can find them.

Self-help groups

By providing support to those with depression, to their families, and to others close to them, self-help groups can be critical in effectively dealing with depression. Self-help groups offer:

• Information and current knowledge about depression and its treatment—often, this information comes in the form of brochures, booklets, pamphlets, and group newsletters
• Emotional support—people remain positive and hopeful because the groups offer them the opportunity to share experiences, strengths, and hopes
• Practical advice and tips
• Social interaction—by affording participants the opportunity to socialize, self-help groups alleviate the isolation and loneliness that are often part and parcel of depression
• Advocacy through public education and programs designed to raise awareness—these programs are intended to fight the stigma of mental illness, gain resources, and lobby for additional funding for research and policymaking

Self-help groups often exist as the result of a few people's efforts and they can be found in many centres. If your community is without a self-help group, why not start one? The following tips are designed to help you in this endeavor.

Don't do it alone.

Although rewarding, starting a self-help group can be demanding and stressful. Sharing responsibility with others and delegating tasks can help you avoid burn out while increasing your chances of success.

Form a core group.

Starting a self-help group requires several interested people. Once these have been identified, you'll need to hold a meeting and form a committee. The committee should devise a plan that will assign tasks to various individuals, set out work timelines, and set clear goals.

Be clear about the purpose and mandate of the group.

Effective self-help groups develop in response to the needs of their members. Be clear about your mandate and about the needs of your membership. Clearly state what your group hopes to do and how you will go about doing it.

Develop the program.

With the core committee and with input from members, determine the types of meetings you will hold as well as how they will be organized and facilitated.

Select a meeting place.

Look for a permanent meeting location for your group, ensuring there is enough space to accommodate all participants. If you plan to have "break out" groups in which newcomers, family members, and so on break off from the larger group, try to find a meeting place that has smaller, individual meeting rooms.

Tell others!

Identify and follow up on ways of letting your membership know where and when you meet. Assign a contact person to answer inquiries. Consider assigning a public relations portfolio to a responsible person on your core committee.

Share leadership

Once your self-help group is well underway and your members are meeting regularly, consider gradually reducing the core group's involvement. Self-help groups belong to all members. As such, be sure to assign tasks on a rotation, allowing members to take turns leading meetings, setting up the meeting space, bringing snacks and refreshments, preparing handouts and other materials, and so on. You can encourage new members' participation in the group by assigning them some of these tasks as well as encouraging their participation in group discussions.

Community resources

In addition to self-help groups, depressed people also have access to a number of community resources such as hospitals, mental health clinics, distress and crisis lines, suicide prevention services, and mental health professionals.

Hospitals

People affected by depression need to know where to gain access to a hospital should the need arise. Admission to hospital typically occurs through the emergency department and many hospitals have a psychiatric ward where severely ill and suicidal patients can receive proper care. In smaller communities, hospitals may have psychiatric beds. Many hospitals also offer support groups and day programs to both inpatients and outpatients while psychiatric hospitals offer both long-term care and outpatient programs.

Mental health clinics/healthcare professionals

Staffed by qualified psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and physicians, mental health clinics provide care and counseling. To find a mental health clinic in your community, check your phone book.

Distress or crisis lines

Available 24 hours a day in many communinties, distress and crisis lines are staffed by caring volunteers carefully screened and properly trained in crisis intervention. Crisis numbers are usually found on the first page of the phone book.

Suicide prevention services

In addition to distress and crisis hotlines, some community also have specialized services aimed at the prevention of suicide. To find such services in your area, check your phone book.