Group Therapy for Bipolar Disorder
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Group Therapy for Bipolar Disorder
| Thu, 11-10-2005 - 5:29pm |
Does anyone else go to group therapy for Bipolar Disorder? I have been going for about 6 months now and I hate it!!! My pdoc wants me to go to group instead of a regular one on one sessions. One of the problems I have with it is that there are only 3 of us who are Bipolar. The rest I think are dealing with depression. Also, there is this one lady there who totally dominates the conversation. This week she talked for 25 minutes (The group only lasts an hour). It's not that she talks about her problem, I don't mind that so much, it's that she goes over the same issues over and over and over again. I don't know about you, but I can only listen to the same story once otherwise my attention span dwindles. The worst part is that no one stops her they just let her ramble on and on. I've already spoken with the Office Manager for my pdoc (we're pretty good friends) and nothing was done about it. I don't know if it is a personality conflict or what, but I feel as though I am getting nothing out of the group. Everyone discusses their problems and it's not very positive. Sometimes I feel worse going than if i just skipped it. I have made one friend there who is also Bipolar and that is nice. We go out to lunch afterwards. So that's fun. I just don't know what to do. Should I stop going all together? Half the time, I don't get to say anything. I need that time with my pdoc to discuss side effects of meds and other issues. I'm not getting what I need. I'm not real good with confrontations, but I'm starting to think that I am going to have to speak with my doctor. Anybody have any advice? Thanks a bunch - Hope you all are having a good week - Jena

Jena,
I'd bring up your concerns with the tdoc/pdoc that's leading the group--it's their job to keep one person from dominating the group like that--every now and then when someone is in crisis, it's one thing, but not all the time and the same issues!
I am not a fan of group therapy or support groups, for the reasons you described, and also, because in my experience, the people at those things have often given up on life, they just want to stay home and do nothing. I am not like that, I fight, and if I want to be in a group, I want to be in a group of fighters. Haven't found one yet.
Express!
Beth "Petrouchka"
the only experience i've had with group therapy was a very bad one. 2 years ago, about 2 weeks before my dad passed away, i went back into counseling for depression, insomnia and no appetite. just prior to the counseling, i had tried everything for the insomnia including having a beer or 2 at night to see if that would help. now, anyone that knows me knows that this is not 'normal' behavior for me. i was exhausted and wanted to sleep. well, the intake counselor heard this, labeled me an alcoholic and threw me into a substance abuse group.
brief background - both parents are/were alcoholics; my maternal grandmother; and my paternal grandparents "heartily enjoyed" alcohol. so, my 1 to 2 beers a night for a period of maybe a week or so i was immediately an alcoholic. wtf??????
within 2 weeks of this group starting my dad suddenly passed away. when i needed grief counseling, i was forced to sit in a room with substance abusers talk about their problems and i was expected to say i was an alcoholic - which i'm not - and not discuss my grief as this wasn't the place. care to guess how long i stuck with that group?
it took me about a month before i decided i couldn't handle it all on my own anymore and sought out a new tdoc. at the time, i was still dx'd as having major depressive disorder. that decision was probably the best one i had ever made. i found then the tdoc i have now. within the ensuing year my moods started getting very strange for someone with a depressive disorder. finally when i hit a manic episode pdoc convinced me to see a pdoc and referred me to one. it has taken me a year since then to get some sort of stability.
so now that you have way more than you asked for.......lol.......i have to agree with what has already been said. talk to your pdoc/tdoc about this. i do attend alanon which is a support group and there is one member that does the capitalization thing too. if the group is small enough nothing is said, but if there's a lot of people, something will be said. it's a balance thing. so that's my 2 cents........and then some.
traci