Depression and Bipolar ​Support Alliance
​National Capital Area Chapter

Weekly Update

June 25, 2023

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.

Support Groups

As always, a calendar of all meetings, including zoom links, is on our site. https://www.dbsanca.org/supportgroups.html

In Person Support Groups

Tuesday

  • Silver Spring Group, Tuesdays at 7:00 pm​
    Silver Spring United Methodist Church
    ​8900 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Thursday

  • DC Peer Group, Thursdays at 7:15 pm
    Foundry United Methodist Church
    ​1500 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036

Virtual Support Groups

Sunday

  • Peer Group, weekly on Sundays at 6:00 pm

Monday

  • Peer Group, second and fourth Mondays at 7:00 pm

Tuesday

  • LGBTQIA+ Peer Group, first and third Tuesdays at 7:00 pm
  • Women's Peer Group, second and fourth Tuesdays at 7:00 pm

Wednesday

  • Mid-Day Peer Group, Wednesdays at 12:00 pm
  • (Formerly Ellicott City*) Peer Group, first and third Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
  • (Formerly Montgomery County*) Peer Group, second and fourth Wednesdays at 7:00 pm

Thursday

  • Peer Group, weekly on Thursdays at 7:00 pm


*locations here denote in-person origin; you are welcome to join any appropriate virtual peer group regardless of location.

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Zoom Link

If the provided link is used online, a password should be unnecessary. Please let us know of any difficulties via [email protected].

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​

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Google Calendar Links

Special Events | Peer In Person | Peer Virtual

These are the links for our Google Calendar. Our Google Calendar is the most up to date source for meeting information, including links, specific locations, and meeting policies.

DBSA National & Local Alternative Support Groups

DBSA National offers New Groups for Parents & Caregivers

DBSA Virginia

There is a virtual family group meeting each Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30 PM. Please contact John Gulka of DBSA Virginia (dbsava.org) in advance to arrange attendance: [email protected], 703-967-5642

DBSA Baltimore

Family and Loved Ones Group meets twice monthly in North Baltimore. For more details, contact: Lou Borowicz, group facilitator: [email protected], 410-467-4709 https://greaterbaltimorearea.weebly.com/family-and-friends-group.html

DBSA NCA Chapter Announcements

DBSA NCA Speaker Series: Dr. Jacobsen

We are working on editing the video from Dr. Jacobsen's presentation to the chapter. It should be up before July 4.

DBSA NCA Seeks Volunteers

DBSA NCA is seeking volunteers for the following two positions:

1. Social Media Coordinator: A social media coordinator is needed to help DBSA NCA manage its presence on its various social media platforms. Tasks include posting various items on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter to generate positive feelings towards DBSA NCA.

2. Community Outreach Coordinator: A volunteer is needed to manage outreach to various local government and community organizations. Tasks include researching key contacts with local government and community organizations as well as scheduling meetings with key contacts at local government agencies and community organizations.

Contact: Greg Billings via email: [email protected] or 202-440-7714 if interested.

Webinars & Events

From American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - 2023 Annual Advocacy Forum - Virtual Tuesday June 27 12:00-3:00 PM ET

MHA Webinar Where I feel safe: What makes an environment affirming | Mental Health America Tuesday, June 27, 2023 1 PM ET

News from DBSA

Celebrate Summer by Exploring Environmental Wellness

With summer here, we can now enjoy some of the longest days of the year. If you’re eager to get outside, you might be thinking about your environmental wellness. Spending time outdoors and in nature can be incredibly beneficial for mental health.  

Wellness Tip: Make time outdoors a habit. Think about ways you can incorporate spending some time outdoors daily, whether it’s a walk around the block, a run, or sitting on the porch. Making time outdoors a habit can be supportive of our overall health. 

Journal Prompt: Reflect on a time when you felt at peace with your environment. What conditions were present that made you feel calm?

Check out the DBSA Wellness Wheel for more ways to practice self-care: DBSA Wellness Wheel - Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

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LGBTQ+ Communities and Mental Health | DBSA 

Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth this June | DBSA

National DBSA offers training to become professional peer specialists. This is an intensive 80 hours of training over four weeks to qualify for official recognition and qualify for paid employment of various types. Tuition is $1500. For information: Register for DBSA's Peer Specialist Course - Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

DBSA NCA Reading: New and Recommended Books

Please let us know if you have any books to recommend!

Our unofficial DBSA NCA book club is reading MARBLES by Ellen Forney.

From the graphic novel website:

Shortly before her thirtieth birthday, cartoonist Ellen Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Flagrantly manic and terrified that medications would cause her to lose creativity and her livelihood, she began a years-long struggle to find mental stability while retaining her passion and creativity.

Searching to make sense of the popular concept of the crazy artist, she finds inspiration from the lives and work of other artists and writers who suffered from mood disorders, including Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O’Keeffe, William Styron, and Sylvia Plath. She analyzes the clinical aspects of bipolar disorder as she struggles with the strengths and limitations of a parade of medications and treatments.

Darkly funny, intensely personal, and visually dynamic, Forney’s graphic memoir provides a visceral glimpse into the effects of a mood disorder on the artist’s work. Her story seeks the answer to this question: if there's a correlation between creativity and mood disorders, is an artist's bipolar disorder a curse, or a gift?

Let us know if you would like to join the book club.

Weekly Reading Links

Are We Serving Your Needs?

We aim as volunteers to provide you with relevant and easily accessible content. Please let us know if we are successful, and especially if you think there are any changes to our newsletter or website that could better serve you by emailing [email protected].

Contributions to DBSA

Donations to the National DBSA may be made through the website. https://www.dbsalliance.org/

If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact us via email or our dedicated voicemail line, 240-780-8706​.

The DBSA NCA Web Team

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