Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance National Capital Area Chapter Weekly Update December 5, 2021 Hello and welcome to the weekly email! If you have a suggestion or news item to share please send to
[email protected] by 5:00 pm on Fridays. Be sure to check out the chapter website at www.dbsanca.org . DBSA NCA Peer Support Meetings Thursday evening groups (DC and Oxon Hill) have resumed in-person meetings. Other groups are delaying decisions for now. In person meetings (intended for the vaccinated) will follow all procedures and guidelines recommended or required by national health agencies, the relevant local government, and the host institutions. This week the chapter will offer Zoom and in-person peer support groups as shown below. 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 for virtual groups denote where these groups have met previously, and will probably return; however some groups will remain virtual indefinitely. 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 protected] . Sunday Evening Zoom Peer Support Group Meeting Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time Beltsville Zoom Peer Support Group Meeting No meeting this week LGBTQIA+ Zoom Peer Support Group Meeting Tuesday December 7, 2021 at 7:00 PM Eastern Time Women’s Zoom Peer Support Group Meeting No meeting this week Mid-Day Zoom Peer Support Group Meeting Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time Montgomery County Zoom Peer Support Group Meeting Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 7:00 PM Eastern Time Southern PG Peer Support Group Meeting (In Person) Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM Eastern Time; Location: Oxon Hill United Methodist Church 6400 Livingston Road, Oxon Hill Thursday DC Peer Support Group Meeting (In Person) Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM Eastern Time (gather from 6:45); Location: Foundry United Methodist Church, 16th and P Streets, NW Thursday Zoom Peer Support Group Meeting Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM Eastern Time Sunday Evening Zoom Peer Support Group Meeting Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time See our Support Groups page for up-to-date information on in person and virtual groups. Invite link for all ZOOM 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 No meeting this week 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 Call for Web Volunteers & Feedback The Web Team is currently seeking administrative volunteers to help with putting out weekly newsletters and maintenance on the website. If you would like to help or provide feedback on these newsletters and the website , please reach out to
[email protected] . Your assistance is most welcome and appreciated. We Need Your Likes! Our chapter now has a Facebook Page - please go to https://www.facebook.com/DBSANCA and click to “Like” the page. We will be using this to push out information about the chapter and mood disorder resources that you will find helpful. You can also use this page to share with friends and family who are looking for support. Our goal is to get 100 new likes in the next month so check it out! DC Advocacy Update Washington, DC extends program that directs 911 mental health calls to social workers, not police. The District of Columbia is set to extend a pilot initiative where certain calls to police involving mental health emergencies are routed to city social workers who are better equipped to handle the situation. The District’s Mental Health Emergency Dispatch Program, which was implemented by Mayor Bowser in May, was intended to reduce the number of police-involved shootings that occur when the subject of an emergency call may be mentally unstable. Cleo Subido, interim director of the Office of Unified Communications, told WTOP Monday that the city is hiring more social workers for the program’s next phase, with a goal of having a third of all mental health calls directed to a dedicated mental health team by the third phase. The program will also expand its operating hours from 12 to 24 hours a day. News From National DBSA Hangout on Christmas Day afternoon - National DBSA has informed us that all are invited to the Christmas Hangout of the Greater Hartford Chapter, available December 25 from 1:00 - 9:00 PM EST, particularly those bored, alone, or down at that time, See calendar at: DBSA Greater Hartford September 2021 eUpdate - Supporting Our Community DBSA recently released its 2020 Annual Report - learn all about the incredible work of DBSA over the past year. I’m Living Proof: A Letter to My Younger Self National DBSA Wellness Wheel DBSA Wellness Toolbox Mental Health Screening Center 8 Tips on Setting Boundaries for Your Mental Health - DBSA Ten Grounding Strategies To Help You Redirect Your Thoughts Suicide Prevention Information Events Outside of DBSA Disparities Conference: Identifying Opportunities and Priorities in Youth Mental Health Disparities Research - NIH - Wednesday and Thursday December 8-9, 2021, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM EST (virtual) - https://www.youthmentalhealthconference.org/ iNDIEFLIX virtually presents the movie LIKE - EveryMind - Tuesday December 14 - 6:30-8:00 PM EST - http://www.every-mind.org/LIKE2021/ OCD: Using Genome Data to Predict Risk, Symptoms and Treatment Response - Meet the Scientist Webinar - Tuesday, December 14 at 2:00 PM EST https://www.bbrfoundation.org/event/ocd-using-genome-data-predict-risk-symptoms-and-treatment-response Mind Your Mind Mondays - MHAMD - Mondays at 6:30 - 7:30 PM The Mental Health Association of Maryland’s Vibrant Aging Peers Program is a weekly opportunity for older Marylanders to learn about brain health and engage with others around mental wellness, with a different topic every week. https://www.mhamd.org/news/event/mind-your-mind-mondays-3/ Events page for MHAMD : https://www.mhamd.org/what-we-do/outreach-and-education/vibrant-minds/events/ Studies & Opportunities Healthy mothers aged 18-50 who experienced PPD are invited to participate in a 7-month study at NIH with appointments every two weeks. Call 301-496-9576 NIMH » Adults: Postpartum Depression Emotional, social, cognitive and behavioral impact of the COVID-19 pandemic - Clinical Trials Survey System | Home NIMH online study (approximately 2 hours) Depression: Repeated Doses of Ketamine, and Neuroimaging - NIMH Call 1-877-MIND-NIH to find out if you qualify. ClinicalTrials.gov is a database of privately and publicly funded clinical studies conducted around the world. You can search for studies involving a specific disease or condition, such as “bipolar disorder,” and for ones recruiting or soon to be recruiting participants. Further Resources Why is the CDC missing in action on severe mental illnesses? - STAT Mayors' top concern: mental health - AXIOS Heads Up Guys - Online resource helping men fight depression A promising new treatment for depression (YouTube Video) - CBS Sunday Morning CDC adds mental illness to high-risk Covid list - Washington Post The State of Mental Health in America - Mental Health America Annual Report 2021 Children's Mental Health Report - Child Mind Institute Understanding Anxiety, Depression and CBT - University of Reading free online course FreeWill for Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) - FreeWill lets you create a last will and testament. Severe Depression and Covid-19: Communities in Need Across the U.S. (pdf) - MHA What to Know When You're Newly Diagnosed With Depression - article from WEBMD From BBRF Two Signaling Pathways Involved in Regulating Synaptic Plasticity Suggest Novel Targets for Rapid-Acting Antidepressants Team Identifies Three Possible Brain-Based Biotypes of Post-Trauma Psychiatric Vulnerability Lumateperone, an Antipsychotic, is Tested in a Phase 3 Trial for Major Depressive Episodes in Bipolar I and II Disorders Positive Preliminary Results in Highly Personalized Deep-Brain Stimulation Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression Mindfulness Training Plus tDCS Stimulation to Treat Cognitive Decline in Older Persons with Depression or Anxiety Study Sheds Light on Prevalence of 'Long-COVID,' Including Cognitive and Psychiatric Symptoms Positive Phase 3 Test of Rapid-Acting Oral Medicine for Postpartum Depression Healthy Minds TV | Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Study Identified Potential Predictors of Suicide Attempts in 30 Days Following Suicidal Thinking In Study, Phone-Based Mindfulness App Helped Young Teens Ruminate Less Depression’s Genetic Links Probed in 1 Million People in a Single Study for the First Time Obesity Is a Risk Factor for Brain-Structure Changes in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, 2 Studies Show Study Indicates Brain Lesions and Treatment Targets in Depression Affect the Same Circuitry, Suggesting New Treatment Possibilities Recent articles from BP Magazine (BP Hope) 3 Things People with Bipolar Disorder
