Bipolar Disorder Resources and Organizations
Having a good support system is an important part of working toward recovery. Reaching out to family members and friends is an excellent start toward building your support system.
It may also be helpful to join an outside support group. Sharing with people who have had similar experiences may help you gain a greater understanding of your illness and motivate you to continue following your bipolar disorder treatment plan and continue reaching for your goals. Below is a list of helpful support groups for you to consider.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
730 N. Franklin Street, Suite 501
Chicago, IL 60610-7224
800-826-3632
www.dbsalliance.org
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is a patient-directed national organization focusing on the most prevalent mental illnesses. The organization fosters an environment of understanding about the impact and management of these illnesses by providing up-to-date, scientifically based tools and information written in language the general public can understand. DBSA supports research to promote more timely diagnosis, develop more effective and tolerable treatments and discover a cure. The organization works to ensure that people living with mood disorders are treated equitably. DBSA was founded in 1985.
Families for Depression Awareness
395 Totten Pond Road, Suite 404
Waltham, MA 02451
781-890-0220
www.familyaware.org
Families for Depression Awareness helps families recognize and cope with depressive disorders. The purpose of this organization is to: help families recognize and manage the various forms of depression and associated mood disorders; reduce stigma associated with depressive disorders; and unite families and help them heal in coping with depression.
Families for Depression Awareness offers a unique tool called the Mental Health Family Tree builder. After completing a simple questionnaire, you can print an easy-to-read “family tree” that maps the existence of behaviors associated with bipolar disorder in your family. You can then share this family tree with your doctor or family. This builder is completely anonymous and your personal information will not be saved.
The Jed Foundation
Suite 8B, 583 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
212-647-7544
www.jedfoundation.org
The Jed Foundation was founded in 2000 by Phil and Donna Satow after they sadly lost their 20-year-old son, Jed, to suicide. The Jed Foundation is a New York-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization with a mission to reduce the suicide rate among college and university students across the United States.
The organization’s major initiatives are rooted in their widely distributed “Prescription for Prevention” model that defines a comprehensive suicide prevention and mental health promotion framework for colleges and universities. Their programs, informed by both clinical and public health perspectives, target the full range of audiences who can influence college mental health, including students, colleges, politicians, mental health professionals and parents. Their work: fosters greater public awareness of the extent of college-age suicides; collaborates with colleges and universities to strengthen mental health services on campus; creates linkages between the academic research community that works on suicide prevention and the higher education professionals who work directly with students; and produces innovative Internet-based intervention systems for college students.
MedlinePlus
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus
MedlinePlus will direct you to information to help answer health questions. MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information from the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies and health-related organizations. Preformulated MEDLINE searches are included in MedlinePlus and provide easy access to references to medical journal articles. MedlinePlus also has extensive information about drugs and supplements, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, interactive patient tutorials, the latest health news, and surgery videos.
Mental Health America (MHA)
2000 N. Beauregard Street, 6th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
800-969-6MHA (6642)
www.nmha.org
Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association) is dedicated to helping people live mentally healthier lives. With more than 320 affiliates nationwide, MHA represents a growing movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well-being of the nation—every day and in times of crisis.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Colonial Place Three
2107 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201
800-950-NAMI (6264)
www.nami.org
NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness, and their families. Founded in 1979, NAMI has become a prominent national voice on mental illness. NAMI organizations in every state and in over 1100 local communities across the country join together to meet the NAMI mission through advocacy, research, support, and education.
National Hopeline Network
800-442-HOPE (4673)
www.hopeline.com
The Kristin Brooks Hope Center (KHC) and its primary program, the National Hopeline Network, is a non-profit organization dedicated to suicide prevention, intervention, and healing. The organization accomplishes this by: providing a single point of entry to community-based crisis services through innovative telephony and internet-based technologies; bringing national attention and access to services for postpartum depression and other women's mood disorders; through education and advocacy; through formal research and evaluation of crisis line services; and championing the need for national funding for community-based suicide prevention crisis services.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
866-615-6464
www.nimh.nih.gov
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the federal government's principal biomedical and behavioral research agency. NIH is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services. The NIMH mission is to reduce the burden of mental illness and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain, and behavior. This public health mandate demands that the institute harness powerful scientific tools to achieve better understanding, treatment, and eventually, prevention of these disabling conditions that affect millions of Americans.
The COPE™ Program
www.CopingWithMentalIllness.com
The COPE™Program is an educational tool that provides practical and useful information for understanding and coping with mental illness on a day-to-day basis. The COPE™Program also helps people who are dealing with mental illness learn to regain footing in their lives by preparing them to live on their own and reenter the workforce.
Bipolar Disorder and Social Security Disability Benefits
This is not a complete summary of safety information. Please discuss the full
Prescribing Information with your health care provider.
SEROQUEL is approved for depressive episodes and acute manic episodes in bipolar
disorder; long-term maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder in combination
with lithium or divalproex; and schizophrenia.
Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis (having lost touch with
reality due to confusion and memory loss) treated with this type of medicine
are at an increased risk of death, compared to placebo (sugar pill). SEROQUEL
is not approved for treating these patients.
Antidepressants have increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and actions in
some children, teenagers, and young adults. Patients of all ages starting
treatment should be watched closely for worsening of depression, suicidal
thoughts or actions, unusual changes in behavior, agitation, and irritability.
Families and caregivers should watch patients daily and report these symptoms
immediately to the physician. SEROQUEL is not approved for patients under the
age of 18 years.
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High blood sugar and diabetes have been reported with SEROQUEL and medicines
like it. If you have diabetes or risk factors such as obesity or a family
history of diabetes, ask your doctor about checking your blood sugar before
starting SEROQUEL and regularly throughout treatment. If you develop symptoms
of high blood sugar or diabetes, such as excessive thirst or hunger, increased
urination, or weakness, contact your doctor. Complications from diabetes can be
serious and even life threatening
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A rare, but potentially fatal, side effect reported with SEROQUEL and medicines
like it is neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Tell your doctor if you have
very high fever; rigid muscles; shaking; confusion; sweating; changes in pulse,
heart rate, or blood pressure; or muscle pain and weakness because treatment
should be stopped if you have NMS
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Another serious side effect reported with SEROQUEL and medicines like it is
tardive dyskinesia (TD)—uncontrollable movements of the face, tongue, or other
parts of the body. TD may become permanent, and the risk of TD is believed to
increase as the length of time on and the amount of these medications increase.
While TD can develop in patients taking low doses for short periods, this is
much less common. There is no known treatment for TD, but it may go away
partially or completely if treatment is stopped
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Before starting treatment, tell your doctor if you have high cholesterol or
have a history of, or are at risk for, seizures or a low white blood cell (WBC)
count. An eye exam for cataracts is recommended at the beginning of treatment
and every 6 months thereafter. Suicidal thoughts or actions may occur in
bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; tell your doctor if you have thoughts about
death or suicide. During treatment, tell your doctor if you feel dizzy or
lightheaded upon standing. Since drowsiness has been reported with SEROQUEL,
you should not participate in activities such as driving or operating machinery
until you know that you can do so safely. Avoid drinking alcohol while taking
SEROQUEL because SEROQUEL increases the effects of alcohol. Avoid becoming
overheated or dehydrated while taking SEROQUEL
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Common side effects: The most common side effects are dry mouth, sedation,
drowsiness, dizziness, constipation, weakness, abdominal pain, sudden drop in
blood pressure upon standing, sore throat, weight gain, sluggishness, high
blood sugar, nasal congestion, abnormal liver tests, and upset stomach
Talk to your doctor about prescription SEROQUEL.
Click here for full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warnings.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the
FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch
or call 1-800-FDA-1088.