Holiday Stress and Depression

The holidays can be a very stressful time of year for many... here are some helpful websites with tips for dealing with holiday stress and depression.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030

http://www.fitcommerce.com/BLUEPRINT/Tips-to-Reduce-Holiday-Season-Depression_page.aspx?pageId=867&portalId=14&cid=1522

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/12/23/9-tips-for-busting-holiday-depression/

Hi All,

Wanted to let everyone know WILL be meeting Wednesday, November 23rd before Thanksgiving. See you there!

Kelly

Drop-in Depression and Bipolar Support

Hello All,

Lakeview Depression and Bipolar support group continues to meet every Wednesday night from 7-8:30pm. All are welcome and the group is drop-in style. We meet in the basement of Lakeview Center.

For more information or any questions you may have feel free to call Kelly Logan (773-506-4454) or Wayne (312-502-4212).

Support Group No Longer Affiliated With DBSA

Due to administrative complications, the Lakeview Center Depression and Bipolar Support Group is no longer officially affiliated with DBSA. We will continue to hold the group at the regular time at our center, and we continue to support the excellent work done by DBSA and encourage people struggling with mood disorders to take advantage of those resources. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@lakeviewtherapy.com

Meeting on 12/23 at the normal time.

Hello All,

I wanted to remind everyone that we will be meeting tomorrow, December 23rd from 7-8:30 PM. I look forward to seeing you there. Safe travels and Happy Holidays to anyone who may be traveling or unable to attend.

Henry

A Good Book on Depression

Hello all,

We had another great meeting last night. Thanks to all of you for making it so. After the meeting a group member mentioned a good book that he is reading on depression, and I wanted to share the title with everyone. It is called The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon. I have not personally read the book, but it has four out of five stars on Amazon.com. If you are unsure of whether or not it would be a good book for you to read, I would encourage you to look through some of the reviews that are posted on Amazon.

Anyways, have a wonderful week. I hope to see you next Wednesday from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM for the next meeting.

Henry

Thanksgiving

Hello all. I wanted to remind everyone that the Lakeview DBSA group will be meeting on Wednesday November 25th (the night before Thanksgiving). For those who will be in town, I hope to see you there. For those who will be traveling, I wish you a safe and happy trip.

Group space under construction, but we will still be meeting.

Hello all,

For those who were not at the meeting last week, I wanted to let you know that the group space is currently going through a remodel. The usual group meeting space is in the process of being walled of into its own room, separating it from the area with the table and bathroom. On the upside, this will give the space a more private feel. On the downside, the group area will be slightly reduced. I am happy to report that the construction will not will not stand in the way of having our meeting tomorrow night, and it is expected that the construction will be completed before the following Wednesday.

I look forward to seeing everyone this Wednesday from 7:00-8:30 PM.

Henry

Some books suggested by group members

Personal Experiences

A Brilliant Madness: Living With Manic Depressive Illness by Patty Duke

An Unquiet Mind by Kay Jamieson

Darkness Visible by William Styron

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

Madness by Marya Hornbacher

Workbooks

The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne

Break the Bipolar Cycle: A Day by Day Guide To Living With Bipolar Disorder by Brondolo & Amador

The Depression Workbook: A Guide For Living With Depression And Manic Depression, 2^nd Edition by Mary Ellen Copeland and Matthew McKay

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical Dialectical Behavior Therapy Exercises For Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation And Distress Tolerance by McKay, Wood & Brantley

Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think by Dennis Greenberger and Christine Padesky

Assorted Books I’ve Found Helpful

Bipolar For Dummies by Fink and Kraynak

Codependence – Misunderstood And Mistreated by Anne Schaef

Codependent No More: How To Stop Controlling Others And Start Caring For Yourself by Melody Beattie

A Currency of Hope by Debtors Anonymous

The Dance of Intimacy by Harriet Lerner

Finding Your Bipolar Muse: How to Master Depressive Droughts and Manic Floods and Access Your Creative Power by Lana R. Castle

Healing The Child Within: Discovery And Recovery For Adult Children Of Dysfunctional Families by Charles Whitfield

Posted on behalf of a group member

On Saturday,October 10th,in loving memory of my friend,Paige Cecilia McVandal,who I lost in October,2006 to suicide & for mental wellness in general,I will be joining with thousands of people nationwide this fall to walk in AFSP's Chicago Walk 2009 Out of the Darkness Community Walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I would appreciate any support that you give me for this worthwhile cause.

I hope you will consider supporting my participation in this event. Any contribution will help the work of AFSP, and all donations are 100% tax deductible.

Donating online is safe and easy! To make an online donation please click the "Support This Participant" button on this page.

The link to my donation page is below.Encouragement & emotional support also welcome! Donations for all walks will be accepted until December 31st.Your contribution -- whatever the amount -- is important to me and I appreciate it very much.If you have any questions about any of this,please feel free to ask me.

http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=835&participantID=69047