At the suggestion of someone on here (I can’t remember who) I looked for a support group to meet with in person. It looks like the only one around here is called HOPE. They meet twice a month.
The group is for all mental illnesses. Has anyone gone to something like this?
When other people talk about mental illness, removing the stigma, etc, I feel like they’re always talking about anxiety and depression only. The rest of the illnesses are still too scary to touch. If anyone has been in a mixed support group let me know if you were able to openly talk about symptoms or if you were still the “weird” one, even there.
I have been in several meditation support groups and circles, not counting the martial arts meditation I have done. White Eagle, John Maine and a circle run by Andreas Mavromatis of Hypnogogia and Traveling Light fame.
I hope I don’t discourage you. I went to a NAMI group and admitted I was diagnosed with sz. They were all nice but I could tell I wasn’t going to make any friends there.
I’ve been wanting to go to a peer tp peer support group since I’ve moved here 7 months ago but the local chapter of NAMI hasn’t been having any. You’re very lucky to have found one. I’m not sure how it will be seeing that you have a more serious mental health condition than anxiety or depression but I do think it’s worth giving a try. If it doesn’t work out at least you tried. And who knows there may be others with psychotic disorders there.
I have interacted with Sufi support groups as well, but I was very much practicing Gong Fu then, or Silat, the Indonesian Sufi martial art. Don’t know if that counts as religion;
I went to a day program that had support group type meetings. We talked a lot but after we started complaining that the subject was always negative, we ended up playing games.
SZ.com is my support group. I haven’t been to a face to face support group in many years. The last one I attended regularly was Depression/Bipolar Support Alliance. But, my friend goes to that every week and she doesn’t want me there.
I’ve been to a couple groups: one was a partial hospitalization, for those with depression mainly. It was awful. I could tell I didn’t belong, and the group met for like half the day. I do struggle with depression, but I was looking for more of a schizophrenia group.
I was finally able to find a schizophrenia group that met on a university campus downtown. It was nice – once a week, with people my own age going through similar problems. But the drive was too much for me, so I stopped going.
I just recently found a Schizophrenics Anonymous group in my city. I’m going this Tuesday. I’m hoping it goes well. I can finally talk in person about my struggles, and not be looked at with hairy eyeballs.
I went to a group for people who have been through trauma. It was really helpful and I made a few friends. I was the only schizophrenic, but we focused on coping skills and practicing mindfulness, so it didn’t make me stand out. There were a few bipolars, but we all had ptsd.
All the ones I’ve been to that are general MI and not psychosis/sz specific have been pretty useless and not relevant to me. It’s a bunch of people with depression and anxiety and it just wasn’t worth my time. Hopefully you have more success than I did.
I do have anxiety and panic attacks. In the past I’ve been suicidal but that wasn’t depression. It was just a desire to escape the insanity that my mind wouldn’t let me get out of. I think I’m going to try it out. I’ll let y’all know if it’s cool. I think they have meetings in other states too.
I’ve tried SZ groups and not fit because I’m too functional, it causes hard feelings with other group memebers. The mixed groups… Well, you get to spend an hour listening to the bipolars usually. Sometimes the GADs are able to get a word in edgewise. I’m sticking with AA, has kept me going for nearly 28 years.
I am looking for a support group for my problem which is I feel possessed by other people and they make me feel brain dead and I have people monitor my thoughts even though they are not my thoughts. Because of these thoughts I feel persecuted. They make me feel ill. I want to get my life back, going out with friends and volunteering.
@see121 That sounds like schizophrenia so mental health support groups could help. If not, maybe a doctor could adjust meds for you so you can have some relief.
I have anxiety and panic attacks too. How did you deal with this? What I did was constantly pace around and tried not to swallow, but it was a pain trying to go to sleep.
