Can Depression Support Groups help in Dealing with the Illness?

There are many people that can benefit from formal and information talk therapy. These are the folks that stand to benefit the most from depression support discussion either in a group setting or one on one with a therapist. Although not a panacea, there is no doubt that simply having someone to talk with and to hear a different perspective can provide mental health benefits to everyone involved.

One of the most popular avenues for many is the support group or group counseling.  While the popularity of depression support groups and these talking groups cannot be denied, careful consideration of the group dynamic should be in order.  While counseling may be a good idea for someone fighting depression, often the groups can make it worse if only for the same reason why they're claimed to be so great.  The people.

Here's a run down of the types of personalities and people you may experience in a group session.  Though no a complete or comprehensive list, if you can't deal with these people on top of depression, you may want to re-think the idea of "group."

1. Leader envy.  These are the groupies that think that the leader can do no wrong.  They support everything and anything the leader says without consideration.
   
   
2. Argument Lead.  This person(s) try to contribute by giving examples where another persons statement is false.  If their line of reasoning is followed to it's logical end, we end up with anarchy.
   
   
3. General groupie.  These are the people that pipe in that the group is so valuable and helping them so much… but they never seem to make real progress and grow OUT of needing the group.
   
   
4. Social butterfly.  This person uses the group dynamic for social interacting.
   
   
5. Defender.  If something didn't work for you, YOU must be at fault.  You must have not used the system, medication, treatment plan, etc incorrectly.
   
   
6. The cheerleader.  They encourage everyone even if completely wrong.
   
   
7. The Needful.  These people, no matter what happens always seem to need attention or help. 

These types of people groups can be found in almost every popular forum on the web that has more than a few posters in it.  These types of personality traits can also be found in many group counseling situations where there isn't a strong leader to limit the activities and comments from these people.

If you plan on attending a counseling or support group and want to keep your sanity, look for one that is sponsored by a local psychological counselor that has the ability to keep control on the support group dynamic and keep it on track.  Without such leadership, expect that the above personality characteristics to slow the progress of the group dealing with the depression issues.

If you find these types of people trying at best, maybe the idea of a support group isn't for you. This is especially true for many that have other problems and difficulties to deal with including depression. Caregivers of people who have autism anxiety depression need to be especially aware of the symptoms and seek help whenever they suspect a worsening problem.

 

Using medication to fight off the worst of the mental disorders was not always successful and led to other, more difficult challenges. Panic attacks have been known to come on without notice and are some of the most difficult mental problems to deal with long term. So Bookmark this site and pull up a chair.

The fight to maintain a level of mental health that allows us to function in society is an ongoing battle. Hopefully, you will get some ideas on how to deal with mental illness here.

Depression Support Groups