Mental Health Professionals Working Collaboratively With Patients to Educate & Promote Peer Support

Mental health care professionals across the country are donating their time each week to work with members of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (formerly National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association) (DBSA) to promote education and peer-to-peer support group opportunities.

Each year, thousands of people attend one of DBSA’s 800 free, patient-led support groups, and hundreds of thousands more receive educational materials from the Association.

DBSA’s newly-formed Chapter Professional Advisors Committee is leading the important partnership effort of social workers, psychologists, nurses and psychiatrists. The new group will seek ways to enhance educational and support group opportunities across the country.

Beyond the leadership that they provide, DBSA professional advisors help chapters increase their visibility in the community by participating in programs that provide needed education and assistance to those living with a depressive disorder.

DBSA’s support groups play an important role in improving mental health in the U.S. Together with medication and talk therapy, support groups have proven to be an effective adjunct in helping patients and families living with mood disorders. Participation in a DBSA support group has a positive impact on treatment adherence, and participants are less likely to stop taking medication against medical advice, report depression and mania, or have been hospitalized.

For more information on becoming an advisor to a DBSA support group, please contact Lisa Goodale, ACSW, LSW, DBSA’s Constituency Relations Director at 1-800-826-3632, ext. 155, or LGoodale@DBSAlliance.org.