Every work day, I wake up and go to a place I do not want to be. Others are there that do not want to be there as well, yet we are all there. They say we can always quit and that we have a choice, but is that really true? If I don’t work, I wouldn’t be able to get by. I work long hours and try my best, yet I still do not have the things in life I want. No house for a family, no financial freedom. It feels more like modern day slavery to me. Enough money to survive but not enough to quit. Then I realize I will probably spend most of my life in this place that I dislike, with people that I didn’t choose to be around. Yet they say I’m lucky. Lucky to have a job. Lucky I can participate in this vicious cycle. Maybe if I am really lucky, I can keep doing this routine until I am old and near death.
This is the second week where I am completely off of Celexa. I had been taking 40mg everyday for several months, and now I am just on Wellbutrin. I am definitely experiencing some withdrawal symptoms, even though I came off of the Celexa under the supervision of a doctor. I took My head feels as if I haven’t slept all night, and I am experiencing some vertigo and nausea. At first I thought I was sick, but it has been over a week. I usually recover from minor sicknesses within a week. Besides, these feelings are different.
I am scheduled to see my doctor this week and I am extremely upset that these medications have such effects. If you google ‘Withdrawing from Celexa,’ you’ll see many similar stories.
Meetup.com’s NYC Depression Support Group usually meet about twice a week for support groups and will have various social events scheduled as well. I have attended a couple of their meet ups on Sunday afternoons in midtown. To see their upcoming schedule, you will have to join the group through meetup.com but it is completely free and there is no charge for attending the meetup.
The couple of times that I went, there were about 10-15 people in attendance each time. The meeting place is a public building with lots of space, but the group is pretty easy to spot. It is a very diverse crowd and you will probably recognize a few familiar faces because of all of the member profile pictures on meetup.com. Unlike MDSG, this group is for all ages and mental disorders, so you will find a mix of bipolar, unipolar, and sometimes other related mental disorders as well.
Once the session is started, a member facilitator usually has the group go around and introduce themselves. Given the amount of people, this can actually take a long time but serves as a good introduction of who is who and their current state of affairs. After, the group usually breaks up into smaller groups of 3-4 people to have more intimate group discussions about whatever comes to mind. The whole meetup lasted about 3 hours the times I attended.
The people I’ve met there are very nice, and even though it is very diverse, you will most likely find someone that you can relate to a lot. MDSG’s support groups are more organized, but again, this is a completely member run group that provides a great resource completely for free. They also run at different times than MDSG, so perhaps they will be more convenient for your schedule.
Click here to access the meetup.com for more info.
Posted September 7, 2011:
One of the best resources for depression in NYC is the Mood Disorders Support Group of New York. I have personally attended several of their “20-Something Group” on both the Upper West and Lower East Side. I had known about them for several months before I had the courage to attend one of their support groups, but I quickly found out that my worries were for nothing. They were a very welcoming bunch, and I found what I needed there at the time.
MDSG Lower East Side Group – This is the group that meets every Friday night on the Lower East Side. I am much more familiar with this group having attended several meetings. I was especially nervous when I decided to give this a try. I had never been to any type of support group before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
It was another Friday night after work, and instead of going straight home after work to more isolation, I headed on over to the Bernstein Pavilion of the Beth Israel Medical Center. Aside from some security guards next to the entrance, the building looked deserted. There were signs saying MDSG activity happens at the second floor, so I took the elevator there. Luckily, the second floor was much more lively, with members and staff preparing for the meetings. I went to the registration table and explained it was my first time there and that I didn’t know whether I should try the 20 Something Group or the Unipolar group. The staff person suggested I try the 20 Something Group, as it is one of their most popular groups. I paid the $5 suggested fee and signed my name on the sign up sheet. There were about 8 names on the sheet already, so at least I wasn’t the only one. They also gave me a folder with some information about the group.
They directed me back to the first floor to a conference room. I entered and there were those 8 individuals waiting quietly. My first reaction was that these people looked perfectly sane to me, and that I must be the most screwed up person there. I can see a couple of people are together. One other girl had a folder, so I wasn’t the only first timer there. Another thing to ease the awkwardness.
After a few minutes, the facilitator showed up and we started right around the 7:30pm mark. He explained that all facilitators receive training and that the general agenda for the meeting was pretty standard. We will go around the table and everyone can talk for a few minutes about how their week was or just their general state of mind. Speaking is not mandatory though, so you can skip your turn if it makes you uncomfortable.
The group was a good mix of bipolar and unipolar individuals, and as we went around the table, it was already comforting to me to know that I wasn’t the only one struggling with depression in life. Bipolar or Unipolar, I found myself relating to a lot of the things being said. After we went around the entire table, the floor was open to whoever wanted to say something next. Topics naturally form and the facilitator did a good job to make sure everyone has a chance to speak and to steer the topic back to depression related items. The time went by extremely fast and before I knew it, 2 hours had already passed. There was a last call for any discussions, and then the meeting was over.
I started attending the meetings week after week after that, and found it very helpful. The general format of the meetings were always the same, even with different facilitators. There are a healthy mix of regulars and new people week to week, and they are a very friendly bunch. Sure, there are people who naturally tend to dominate the group with their issues, but you should be able to find what you are looking for here. For me, it was more for listening to know that I wasn’t alone in this, and to meet a few new friends. I did both.
MDSG Upper West Side Group – It is much easier for me to get to the Lower East Side location, but if you are closer to the Upper West Side group, I would also recommend giving it a try. It is very much the same format as the Friday Night/LES group, perhaps even a bit more intimate of a setting. There was a period of time where I was going to both the Wednesday and Friday groups during the same week, and noticed that I was one of the rare members that was doing that. You will usually find a different group of facilitators and members.
