Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance National Capital Area Chapter Weekly Update May 2, 2021 Hello and welcome to the new weekly email! We are very excited to show you all the work we’ve done to bring you a new experience online. If you have a suggestion or news item to share please send to
[email protected] by 5:00 pm on Friday. Be sure to check out the new chapter website at www.dbsanca.org . DBSA NCA Peer Support Meetings This week the chapter will offer Zoom peer support groups: Sunday evening, Wednesday at noon, Thursday evening, and Sunday evening. Please note that peer groups are for people living with depression and bipolar disorder. The Friends and Family group is for friends and family members of those living with depression or bipolar disorder (or other mental illnesses) to share the challenges of that relationship. The group locations indicated below denote where these groups have met previously, and will probably return. Peers may opt to participate in any of the peer groups. The Zoom connection links for groups have changed for 2021. To join peer groups you use the same link to access any meeting at its scheduled time. The Friends and Family group (first and third Wednesday evenings) has a different link for its meetings. If the provided link is used online, a password should be unnecessary. Please let us know of any difficulties via email . A note on the Thursday DC group: The meetings will be open with facilitators present for questions or informal discussion 15 minutes early, starting at 6:45 PM ET. This group will usually divide into two or more breakout groups. Consideration will be given to sometimes including one breakout on a specially chosen topic. Suggestions about this will be welcome. Southern PG County Peer Support Group Meeting Time: Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time Beltsville Peer Support Group Meeting No meeting this week Women’s Peer Support Group Meeting No meeting this week Mid-Day Peer Support Group Meeting Time: Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at 12:00 Noon Eastern Time Montgomery County Peer Support Group Meeting No meeting this week DC Peer Support Group Meeting Time: Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 7:00 PM Eastern Time Southern PG Peer Support Group Meeting Time: Sunday, May 9, 2021 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time Invite link for all PEER groups: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6625874960?pwd=TU5SZ3lkV3o4TDhDdi9lZU1jZDZMQT09 Meeting ID 662 587 4960 Passcode: dbsanca One tap mobile +13017158592,,6625874960#,,,,,,0#,,3858633# Dial in 301-715-8592 Meeting ID: 662-587-4960 Passcode: 3858633 Invite link for all PEER groups: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6625874960?pwd=TU5SZ3lkV3o4TDhDdi9lZU1jZDZMQT09 Meeting ID 662 587 4960 Passcode: dbsanca One tap mobile +13017158592,,6625874960#,,,,,,0#,,3858633# Dial in 301-715-8592 Meeting ID: 662-587-4960 Passcode: 3858633 DBSA NCA Family and Friends Meeting Family & Friends Meeting Time: Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at 7:30 PM Eastern Time Invite link for the FAMILY & FRIENDS group: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82298544216?pwd=QVpkeVFIeTJvVGJwbmpXNHdWcnVlQT09 Meeting ID: 822 9854 4216 Passcode: dbsanca One tap mobile +13017158592,,82298544216#,,,,*6740529# Dial in 301-715-8592 Meeting ID: 822 9854 4216 Passcode: 6740529 THIS TUESDAY! Speaker Series Program to feature Roy Richard Grinker, Ph. D. DBSA NCA is excited to announce that our Speaker Series Program will feature Roy Richard Grinker in conversation with DBSA Advocacy Vice President Phyllis Foxworth regarding his new book. “Nobody's Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness” Tuesday, May 4, 2021 -- 7:00 - 8:30 pm EST – via Zoom Nobody's Normal argues that stigma is a social process that can be explained through cultural history, a process that began the moment we defined mental illness, that we learn from within our communities, and that we ultimately have the power to change. This conversation will explore how we understand these issues today and ways that peers can address them. Roy Richard Grinker is Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Grinker was born and raised in Chicago where his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father worked as psychoanalysts. He graduated from Grinnell College in 1983 and received his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology at Harvard University in 1989. He is the author of Nobody’s Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness (NY: W.W. Norton, January 2021) and Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism (NY: Basic Books). Grinker is also the author of numerous other books in the field of anthropology. He was a 2008 recipient of the National Alliance on Mental Illness KEN award for “outstanding contribution to the understanding of mental illness” and the 2010 recipient of the American Anthropological Association’s Anthropology in the Media award for “communication of anthropology to the general public through the media.” Phyllis Foxworth is the Advocacy Vice President at the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. After being diagnosed with a mental health condition in early adulthood, Ms. Foxworth continues to live in wellness and facilitates a weekly DBSA Family & Friends Support Group. Ms. Foxworth directs the organization’s national advocacy strategy with a focus on strengthening mental health parity laws and compliance, broadening adoption of peer support services and development of the peer specialist workforce, and ensuring that patient-desired treatment outcomes are adopted and integrated throughout the entire health care eco-system. Register in advance for this program: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. Note that this program will be recorded. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ tZYrceuuqTwpHNWdUhYYF7t0P1XYXHLmQ6UC The book can be purchased through Politics and Prose Bookstore at https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9780393531640 Online Events Outside of DBSA NIMH new online study (~2 hours): “Emotional, social, cognitive and behavioral impact of the COVID-19 pandemic” https://covidcoping.ctss.nih.gov/ MHA Webinar - Back to Normal, or Not: How to Help Your Family Through COVID-19 Transitions - Tuesday May 4 at 2:15 PM EDT https://webinar.ringcentral.com/webinar/register/ WN_fs5rle7TQN2HMZhxbyjEPw IBPF - Making Your Mess Your Message: Living With, Studying, and Advocating for Bipolar Disorder - Tuesday May 4 at 1:00 PM EDT https://ibpf.org/making-your-mess-your-message/ Better Together: Mental Health Storytelling Summit - May 3-5, 2021 https://bettertogethersummit.org/register? _ke=eyJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIkpYek52TCIsICJrbF9lbWFpbCI6IC JoZWxsb0BkYnNhbmNhLm9yZyJ9 BBRF Meet the Scientist Webinar - Using Rapid-Acting Brain Stimulation for Treatment Resistant Depression Tuesday May 11 - 2:00 PM ET https://www.bbrfoundation.org/event/ using-rapid-acting-brain-stimulation-treatment-resistant-depression Would you like to keep your own personal journal? - New virtual monthly group offered by Montgomery County Public Library Fourth Thursday of each month starting Thursday May 27 - 6:30-7:30 PM ET https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/5018689 May 6, 2021: Fourth Annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium NCOA Learning: 2021 Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Agenda: https://connect.ncoa.org/oamhad-agenda-live May is National Mental Health Awareness Month A Proclamation on National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2021 National Council For Behavioral Health urges writing legislators to support Funding for Mental Health First Aid: Write Your Legislators | Mental Health & Addiction Public Policy Funding for CCBHC Expansion Grants: Write Your Legislators | Mental Health & Addiction Public Policy Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Grants: Write Your Legislators | Mental Health & Addiction Public Policy News from National DBSA New Series: “I’m Living Proof: A Letter to My Younger Self” debuts May 1 I'm Living Proof: A Letter to My Younger Self I'm Living Proof Submissions and Guidelines April 2021 eUpdate April 2021 eUpdate New National DBSA Position Statements DBSA Outreach to the Black Community DBSA statement regarding the relationship between law enforcement and the mental health community DBSA National Social Media Outreach The National DBSA has a very active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and you are encouraged to follow these channels for a range of excellent resources and information: Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Some recent postings have included: Recognizing the early signs of a mood disorder - Young Adult Council - DBSAlliance Clinical Research Stakeholders Join the STARR Coalition to Highlight Critical Mental Health Research How to Get Out of Bed When Depression Is Keeping You Down New Links Added Weekly National DBSA Covid-19 Resources National Institute of Mental Health Covid-19 Resources Managing Grief During a Pandemic (Facebook) Handling Bipolar Symptoms While Isolating National DBSA Wellness Wheel The Rise of Big Data Psychiatry - Wall Street Journal Black and African American Mental Health Resources - EveryMind Largest Genome Study to Date of Anxiety Reveals New Risk Variants and Suggests Possible Biological Mechanisms New report from BBRF and JAMA: A Close Look at How COVID-19 Infection Can Damage the Brain ASFP: Will Suicide Rates Go Up Because of the Pandemic? ‘Nobody Has Openings’ - Recent New York Times article: Mental Health Providers Struggle to Meet Pandemic Demand Article on Accelerated rTMS - Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: In Major Depression, Accelerated rTMS Brain Stimulation Shows Promise Study Links PTSD Stress To Cortical Thinning and Shorter Expected Lifespan From Healthy Place: How to Forgive for Your Emotional Health New York Times Article on TMS and Deep-Brain Stimulation: A Better Way to Zap Our Brains Videos Major Depressive Disorder: https://www.neurocarelive.com/app/mdd-2020