Depression, bipolar support group forms

Depression, bipolar support group forms
Thursday, January 25, 2007 9:18 AM CST




By ASHLEY GARDNER
Texarkana Gazette



People who suffer from depression or bipolar disorder have more support available to them thanks to the newly-formed Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance-Texarkana.


“There really isn’t a whole lot here in East Texas once you get outside of Dallas that is peer-support based, which in my opinion is most effective,” said Martin Morones, who helped form the local support group.



Morones said mental illness still has a stigma attached that may prevent people from seeking support.



He’s trying to change that.


“The stigma behind it is what I think people shun away from,” Morones said.



He hopes in time to see DBSA-Texarkana turn into a thriving support system in the community.



“We are starting with a support group and we’ll see what happens from there. It could branch out into a lot of different things, but this is just the basic foundation,” Morones said.



The local support group is affiliated with the National Office of Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, which has a grassroots network of approximately 1,000 peer-run support groups across the U.S. and Canada.



The support groups are open to people suffering from depression or bipolar disorder, their family members and professionals. The DBSA group meets at 6 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at CHRISTUS St. Michael, classroom 2. For more information, contact Rachel Clark at 903-701-3596 or Morones at 903-748-0833 or dbsatexarkana@yahoo.com.