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July 22, 2011
Living with a mood disorder
Jewish support group is launched in British Columbia.
OLGA LIVSHIN
Recently, Carol Read sent an e-mail to everyone she knows. Her message announced: “Under the guidance of the Mood Disorders Association of B.C. [MDABC], I’m setting up a Jewish faith support group for people with mood disorders.”
In an interview with the Jewish Independent, Read explained that after having a mood disorder on and off for much of her adult life, her attention recently has turned to helping others who suffer from the disorders, which include bipolar and depression. A few months ago, Read learned that MDABC offers support groups, and she visited several of them to find out more. “I participated in a few meetings,” she explained. “I’ve found a daytime group where I intend to be a regular member…. It helps to be with people who understand; we talked about what we go through.”
One of Read’s visits was to a group that is structured around faith. “It was a very positive experience,” she said. “The meeting opened and closed with a prayer. The prayers provided structure, as opposed to just talking. But that group met in a Christian church, and I thought it might not be comfortable for some people of Jewish faith. MDA doesn’t have a support group united by Jewish faith yet. I thought there is a need for one.” So Read decided to organize a Jewish faith support group under the aegis of the association.
All MDABC support groups offer anonymity and are led by facilitators who volunteer to be trained for the job. An experienced teacher, Read decided to become a facilitator and took advantage of a workshop offered by the association, at which participants learn about providing crisis intervention, keeping the conversation flow positive, and how to set goals and offer group support. It was there that Read came across Vicki Rogers for the first time.
Rogers has an extensive background facilitating support groups and is one of the founders of MDABC. At the time, almost three decades ago, there wasn’t such an organization in British Columbia. “We started MDA in 1983,” she told the Independent. “My husband was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and we wanted to connect with others who had similar problems and with their families. I had a lived-in experience and I wanted to share it.”
The Rogers family established the original MDABC support group, which met in their home. In later years, the groups multiplied and spread geographically, meeting in churches, community centres and health centres around the province. Currently, about 50 support groups are active in British Columbia.
From the beginning, the association has had a three-fold goal, Rogers said: to provide support, disperse education and assist in recovery for people with mood disorders and their families. “We’re trying to erase the stigma of mental illness,” she explained. Although formally only bipolar and depressive disorders fall under the mood disorder diagnostic criteria, MDABC accepts anyone diagnosed with mental illness, if they’re considered stable.
“We’re all-encompassing,” said Rogers, pointing out that there are about 600,000 people in the province living with mental illness at any given moment. “Our groups provide ongoing encouragement…. It’s hard to live with mental illness, and the groups serve to remind every participant that they’re not alone – there’s help available.”
Aside from the support offered by an MDABC group, Rogers stressed the need for anyone afflicted with a mental illness to seek professional help. “We’re partners with medical professionals,” she said. “We don’t replace them.”
MDABC’s overall objective is for people with mood disorders to live healthy, satisfying lives and, to achieve this goal, they offer support and education, encourage the development of effective self-help techniques and advocate for research around the disorders. Because the support groups have the capacity to reach out to diverse communities, they remain an integral function of the association.
For her part, Read looks forward to having the new Jewish faith support group be a part of MDABC’s services and several people have already expressed interest in the group, although the meeting place hasn’t yet been set. “I’ll ask my synagogue, Beth Israel, or other synagogues,” she said. “I don’t anticipate troubles finding a room.”
Read is also encouraging people from the community to step forward and train as facilitators. “I’d like the group to have several facilitators,” she explained. “The more people facilitate, the more points of view.” But, regardless of who facilitates the group, one factor will remain unchanged: Jewish faith. “Judaism offers a personal relationship with God,” Read said. “I believe that God is always with us, no matter what we’re going through.”
Despite her strong personal beliefs, Read insisted that there should be no religious preaching in the meetings. “I’d like an egalitarian, inclusive group,” she said. “I’m not looking to convert people, nor do I intend to limit attendance to people with Jewish backgrounds. The group will be open to anyone. I’m trying to set up a faith group based on Jewish spiritual writings, a group where anyone might feel comfortable.”
To learn more, contact Read at [email protected] or visit the MDABC website, mdabc.net.
Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
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