Finding Suitable Place

Every group must have a place to meet and it can be in your garage, a hall or even inside your house. One important factor here is that it must be comfortable and available when you as a group need it. And your ideal sitting set up would be to sit in a circle rather than a church style setup.

Having Rules to be followed

There are some important points that must be emphasized every time you meet, beside the ones you as a group will make later on:

Confidentiality: everything shared must stay inside the meeting.

No other sources: quoting from the bible or famous people must not be allowed into your meetings and everything shared must be from personal experience.

No preaching: words such as don’t do this or don’t do that. This must not be tolerated.

Offer suggestions: Use non threatening suggestion. All  suggestions must be from personal experience like; “my child had that same thing and I did this” or “ I went through the same experience and I did this.”

No gossip: If you don’t allow anything to get out, you must not allow anybody to drag somebody’s name down in these meetings.

JUST LISTEN: this cannot be emphasized enough. Most would come to a meeting not to have their problem solved but to have an opportunity to put out of their system all the frustrations of being involved with this mental illness.

First  Goal

The primary goal of most bipolar support groups is to ensure that no one living with bipolar disease or this mental condition feel alone again, while at the same time providing important emotional support. Improving the physical health and well being of those taking part, support groups are more than just a safety net for patients or caregivers.

Other Functions

In some places bipolar support groups, also called special interest groups (SIG), form an integral part for many health organizations and a critical foundation for those trying to cope with the disorder. Support groups help fill the emptiness between medicine and the daily everyday struggles.  It generally helps patients to cope and also serve as educators and inform about the new advancements in bipolar treatment or therapies available.

Online bipolar support groups

With modern technologies at our doorsteps, many have found online support a great help. This type of support network is ideal for those living in rural areas or those who are scared of leaving the security of their homes. Many use online support as a backup to their existing bipolar support groups in their community.