What is a Depression Recovery Group?
Depression Recovery Groups is a service that brings people who suffer with depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety together to learn, share and encourage each other. Meetings are conducted via computers and the internet - they are a combination of a conference call and a web meeting. Each meeting is led by a professional who has training and experience with these issues. Meetings include a brief education segment and time for voluntary sharing.
What is the difference between Depression Recovery Groups and a depression chat room or forum?
Depression Recovery Groups offers regularly scheduled, live web meetings where people come together with the help of a professional facilitator to discuss how they are doing and to help each other. It a combination of a conference call and a web meeting. Everyone can hear each other and they can interact with each other using their computers. They can type and draw on the screen and everyone can see everyone else's input.
Chat rooms are places where people can only type to each other or to a group. They usually don't have a facilitator. Forums don't happen in real time. People write notes to a group and others may or may not respond and it may take hours or days before a response is posted.
I've never been in a group like yours before. What should I expect?
In each Depression Recovery Groups meeting, you will log into the meeting before it starts and you can send a message to the rest of the group while you are waiting for the meeting to begin. After reviewing the meeting guidelines, each person "checks-in" and indicates how strongly they have a need to share. One of the guidelines is that is okay to not share - listening is just fine. Then there is a brief education segment on a helpful topic. The heart of the meeting is next : a specific amount of time for participants to discuss problems and successes. Questions, suggestions and encouragement from the rest of the group is welcomed.
How long do the group meetings last?
Each group meeting lasts 90 minutes.
Won't talking with other people who are depressed just make me more depressed?
Not usually. It's possible that something you hear might act as a depressive trigger for you, but our meetings try to focus on what's working, suggestions and encouragement. We try to avoid having a "pity party". We actually believe that in many cases, if you start to feel down as result of what's happening in the meeting, this might actually be a helpful sign of something important that is going on for you. It could also be very useful if you mentioned to the rest of the group what you are experiencing, because others might have similar feelings or may have specific ideas for you to consider.
What if I don't feel like talking or sharing?
There is never any pressure to talk or share. At check-in, you can simply say your first name (or any name you choose to remain anonymous) and indicate that you don't want to speak. One of our guidelines is that "it is okay not to share; much can be gained by just listening."
Will others be able to see me?
No - no one will be able to see you. The only webcam that will work in our meetings is that of the meeting leader.
What do I need to attend an online support group?
You will need a computer with an internet connection and a telephone or VOIP for the audio portion of the meeting. CLICK HERE for additional information.
Can I get a copy of the materials that are presented in a meeting?
Yes - please CLICK HERE to get instructions on how to save, view and print the meeting material.
What should I do if I am having difficulty getting into a meeting or having the audio portion of the meeting work?
CLICK HERE for detailed instructions and technical support numbers.
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