was at a support group today, was ok
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I went to a Support Group in my area last night with my brother.
It was a group for people suffering with a Mood disorder like Bipolar or Depression.
I kind of couldn’t exactly relate to the people there.
There were quite a few parents there and most of the people there were high functioning, holding jobs.
After the session was over everyone started to gather and socialize.
I wanted to leave right a way.
With my lack of Motivation and poor Social Skills I really didn’t fit in so much.
I am closer to Schizoaffective on the Spectrum Scale any way.
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at least you tried @Wave good for you.
the one i was at was for people who are stable enough to function and i think they had different diagnosises, mostly sz though, was about 15 of us.
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Yeah there was about 15 of us also.
So, you had an OK experience @daydreamer?
What didn’t you like about your experience.
I just didn’t connect with the others so much, but it was only my first time there.
My Case Manager wants me to give it another go.
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i’ve been to support groups at my old clinic and it kind of was ok. it wasn’t all that great because most people there were bipolar with psychotic features and they kept acting like they were suffering more than the schizophrenia and schizoaffective people. i dont mean to be rude to people here who have bipolar with psychotic features it is just those two people ruined support groups for me. i didn’t mind coming back for the classes but the support group i never went back to.
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it takes time to get involved in groups i think, i went to this group a while ago and a few of them recognised me which was nice,
idk what i didnt like maybe i would have liked to speak to the new guy and i think there wasnt much organised and no biscuits.
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and no biscuits.
definitely don’t go back!
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cbbrown it is a form of egotism…
Saying I suffer the most…
It is egotistic and it belittles the pain of others.
This is very bad behavior…
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There was no food at the support group I attended.
Not even water lol 
the room we were in had a sink and fridge so we could make tea/coffee behind a screen, i had a cup of tea at break time, and i think we will have biscuits next week bc we all gave some money in for it, there is also a water cooler with cups,
@Wave is there a shop nearby for snacks/drinks, are you allowed to eat?
I am pretty sure that you are allowed to bring your own drinks (no booze )
No one was eating anything.
Helpful to find local help and what’s available in your area also where all the free stuff is on your road to recovery.
My brother called me up this morning.
He really liked the Support Group and wants me to continue with it, so does my father and Case Manager.
Even if I have Schizoaffective there is no harm in me attending a Bipolar Support Group I guess.
I’ll give it another shot and attend with my brother.
He has Depression so maybe he is getting something out of it.
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I haven’t gone to a group in a long time. Wasn’t helping me and most ppl just had anxiety,stress, or depression. No one has SZ so I didn’t really fit in right.
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I came back from Support Group and I actually felt more comfortable and actually felt like I fit in more.
There were new people who weren’t high functioning, I kind of related to them.
The best part was that there was this guy who suffered with Schizoaffective and he was in his 30s.
He came with his parents and was super smart.
I think that I will start going there on a regular basis.
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Side topic…I’ve always wondered how one goes about getting a case manager/social worker and what exactly the benefits to having one are?
@SchizoBoy - I belong to a non for profit organization (charity group) that helps house and offers supportive services, including Case Management services to those suffering with a severe mental illness.
She helps me with lots of different things including driving me to my doctors appointments and grocery store, etc…
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thats really good wave i am glad you gave it another chance,
i am going to my support group today and i think we are getting someone to have a talk with us from the Marie trust charity about opportunities that are available to us, i doubt i’ll be doing anything with them though but its worth finding out what they do,
i really enjoy the support group,
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That’s great @daydreamer!
Good for you!
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i might ask to volunteer next time bc there was no-one to take it last time as the person in charge had to cover for someone somewhere else, its crazy with all of these cut backs, i think i need to do something or the group could go South, i mean there was about 20 people there and 2 of them were new but there was no-one to help us, we’ve been told that we need to start running it ourselves but that just doesn’t seem fair.
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