THE WEB HOSTING SERVICE NO LONGER AFFORDS US THE BANDWIDTH TO PUBLISH OUR QUARTERLY NEWSLETTERS ON THE WEBSITE.
NEWSLETTERS ARE AVAILABLE AT OUR SUPPORT GROUPS AND ARE ALSO SENT BY MAIL TO OUR MEMBERSHIP.
ARCHIVED BACK ISSUES MAY BE VIEWED AT THE LINK BELOW.
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
September - December Providing Education, Support and Hope 2011
From The Outside Looking In
Written by Melanie Malcuit
The past 20 years have not been easy. This ride that I got on the day my son was born has taken so many twists and turns that I hardly know where I am at from one day to the next. But…although not easy…it is one that I would not trade for anything because I know that I would not be the strong, dependable and compassionate person that I am today if I had not seen the things that he has endured with my own eyes. In fact, I have to remind my son often that he is not alone…whatever happens to him happens to me also.
After my son turned six we started noticing changes in his behavior that were just not “normal”, for whatever that word means. I truly don’t feel that anyone is “normal” per say but that his behavior was just different enough for us to take notice. His first grade teacher began calling on a daily basis reporting his misbehavior. He was not mean or anything, he was just disruptive. At the same time I constantly had to fuss with him to get his homework done. At his teacher’s advice I took him to see a psychiatrist who subsequently diagnosed him with ADHD and prescribed a stimulant which did wonders for his concentration at home and school.
It was not long after the ADHD diagnosis that my son started contemplating suicide. Suicide at the age of six! What the heck was going on here? He was actively thinking of and verbally expressing ways to end his life. This was when we sought out counseling for the first time. Somewhere during the next couple of years, the suicidal thoughts turned into thoughts of hurting others. We could not make plans or go anywhere because of my son’s increasingly violent outburst. He would always tell us that we were “wasting his time” by trying to do something that he did not want to do.
My son always had friends when he was younger; there were a lot of kids around the same age in our neighborhood. But I’ll never forget the day when a neighbor boy came to my door and told me that Caleb had thrown a hammer at him, trying to hit him in the head. I was so confused…I wondered what in the world this boy had done to my son to make him so angry. When I confronted my son, he told me, after about an hour of trying to drag the truth out of him, that he could not tell me what he had done because it was so bad that he was afraid that I would not love him anymore. I told him that I was his mother and although I may not like or agree with some of the things that he has done or will do in his lifetime, I will ALWAYS love him. This is when he finally opened up and told me that the boy was playing with someone else in his front yard and wasn’t paying any attention to him…so he came home and took the hammer out of the garage and tried to hit the boy in the head with it. Needless to say, I was in shock. This was something altogether new and it really scared me.
This violent behavior became increasingly worse. I began hiding the knives and other things that could be used as weapons in the home. My husband and I began locking our bedroom door at night after my son told us that we had better do so because one night while we were sleeping he
From The Outside Looking In
Continued Page 6
The next DBSA Tampa Bay
Lecture Series will be scheduled in October 2011.
Please continue to check our website,
www.dbsatampabay.org
for additional information.
IN THIS ISSUE
From The Outside Looking In.............p. 1.1
Bipolar and BPD...................................p. 3.3
My Secret Place...........................................p. 3.3
Suicide Rates.........................................p. 4.4
When People are Poison.......................p. 5.5
DBSA Bowling Information.................p. 6.6
DBSA TAMPA BAY NEWSLETTER 2 September - December 2011
Educational
Resources
American Psychiatric Association
888-357-7924 • www.psych.org
American Psychological Association
800-964-2000 • www.apa.org
Advocacy Center
800-342-0823www.advocacy center.com
Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation
847-256-8525 • www.bpkids.org
DBSA (National)
800-826-3632www.DBSAlliance.orgdbsa.invisionzone.comfacingus.org
Military Veterans Suicide Hotline
1 800-273-8255
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
800-950-6264 • www.nami.org
National Association for the Dually Diagnosed
800-331-5362
National Family Caregivers Association
301-942-6430
National Foundation for Depressive Illnesses
800-248-4344
National Institute of Mental Health
800-421-4211 • www.nimh.nih.gov
Panic Disorder Line:
800-64PANIC(7-2642)
Anxiety Disorder Line:
800-888-8-ANXIETY(26-9438)
National Mental Health Association
800-989-6642 • www.nmha.org
Confidential Depression Screening
www.depression-screening.org
The Fly lady
flylady.net
A Message FromOur President
Thanks to the new members and those that have made donations to renew their Lifetime Membership. The Lifetime Members have given of their time and leadership over the last 25 years. Volunteers and money are vital to continue the services we offer. We encourage non- members to help sustain our services through volunteering, monetary contributions, or both.
Locations that sponsor our support groups to meet free, it is with great gratitude we thank them. Without their support DBSATB could not sponsor the great support groups in the Tampa Bay area. If you know of a venue that would sponsor a support group please contact us.
There will be a fund raiser at Brandon Crossroads Bowling, 609 Crater Lane, Tampa, Florida 33619 on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. For a donation to DBSA Tampa Bay of $15.00, that includes shoe rental and two hours of bowling. Those persons who do not have time to participate and you would like to sponsor please send the funds to our DBSA Tampa Bay, P.O. Box 340572, Tampa, Florida 33694. Welcome to all and join us for some time to share and fellowship!
If you or someone you know has any idea for fund raisers, media or publicity, please feel free to contact us at info@dbsatampabay.org to tell us your ideas and thoughts. DBSA Tampa Bay is about getting the word out about mental illnesses as well as raising funds to keep our organization alive.
Thanks to Richard for many hours of being the DBSATB Web Site Manager, Editor of the Newsletter and Administrator for the Phone. John Balcomb will be the new Web Site Manager, Gina D. Burford will be the Editor of the Newsletter, Mary Watkins and Rene Anderson will be the Administrators for the Phone. We are truly blessed to have all the volunteers that serve on the Board of Directors, facilitators and co-facilitators, lecture series and all those that help the facilitators.
P.O. Box 340572, Tampa, Florida 33694 by May 15, 2011. Thank you for your continued support of DBSA Tampa Bay.
Sincerely,
Neil Bush
Neil BushPresident
DBSA Tampa Bay
Speaker’s Bureau
Would you like to have a speaker at your group or organization?
Members of our organization volunteer to give informal talks about depression and bipolar illness.
For more information, please email us at info@dbsatampabay.org
Ways to Avoid Depression Relapse
• Staying healthy
• Don’t take on too much
• Exercise regularly
• Work on a positive attitude
• Take care of your health
• Put off big decisions
• Stop blaming yourself
• Watch your diet
• Don’t stop treatment
• Volunteer
• Avoid alcohol and drugs
• Manage stress
• Have an attitude of gratitude
• Join a support group
• Reconnect
• Build your self-esteem
• Talk to people you trust
• Get your restDBSA TAMPA BAY NEWSLETTER 3 September - December 2011
Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder
My Secret Place
Are Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder related? Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has been a controversial diagnosis when it was first recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1980. One controversy that still has not been resolved is whether BPD is actually just a variation of bipolar disorder.
How are Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder Similar?
The primary reason that some experts have proposed BPD and bipolar disorder may be related is that they share the common feature of mood instability. Bipolar disorder is associated with shifts from depression to mania (a mood characterized by elation, decreased need for sleep, and an increase in activity) or hypo mania (similar to mania but less severe). BPD is also associated with mood changes (sometimes called ‘emotion deregulation’ or affective instability). People with BPD can frequently change from feeling fine to feeling extremely distressed in a matter of minutes. Impulsive behavior is also frequently experienced both by people with bipolar disorder and by people with BPD.
How are Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder Different?
What is the difference between BPD and bipolar disorder, then? Some major components separate the two. While the disorders are both characterized by mood changes, the quality of the mood changes can be very different. In BPD, mood changes are often more short-lived: they may last for a few hours at a time. In contrast, mood changes in bipolar disorder tend to last for days or even weeks. Also, mood shifts in BPD tend to last for days or even weeks. Also, mood shifts in BPD are usually in reaction to an environmental stressor such as an argument with a loved one, whereas mood shifts in bipolar disorder may occur out-of-the-blue. Finally, the mood shifts typical of BPD rarely involve elation; usually the shift is from feeling upset to feeling ‘OK’, not from feeling bad to feeling a high or elevated mood which is more typical of bipolar disorder.
Are Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder Related?
Although it is not yet clear-cut, research has not found a strong relationship between BPD and bipolar disorder. There is some evidence that people with BPD are diagnosed with bipolar disorder at higher rates than individuals with other personality disorders. One study found that about 20% of individuals with BPD are also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, whereas only about 10% of people with other personality disorders are also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This could mean there is some relationship between BPD and bipolar, but it could also be attributed to imprecision in diagnosis, or in the individuals making the diagnosis.
Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder: The Bottom Line
So far, there is not enough research to suggest that BPD and bipolar disorder are related. Although there are definitely some shared features, there are also some marked differences between BPD and dipolar disorder. The co-occurrence of BPD and bipolar disorder is not large enough to suggest that the two disorders are related. However, more research is needed on this topic. It may be that future research on the genetic and biological causes may reveal some undiscovered relationship between the two conditions.
Source: About.com/DPDVBipolar.htm
Submitted by David Thompson
A house above on a hill
Snow and cardboard in hand
Is the best thrill
The opposite hill offers even better thrills
Down below in the creek
So slow, you must wait
It stops to grow
Wading to new depths and curves
Only if you have the nerves
Ahoy, look at the newly made
Pond, hidden by the willow tree
It is so amazing for us to see,
We started swinging from the willow tree
Calm and cool, my secret place,
It was nice to feel a smile on my face
I’ve left it now, it’s in my mind
I still visit it when it’s time...
Piece By Piece
Submitted by David Thompson
As I listen to the radio
Thoughts and feelings rush to mind
Always of another time
Sometimes happy, sometimes sad
They are a part of me and I’m glad
Sometimes the tears flow
to give soothing for my Soul
A broken heart pieced together
Piece by piece it will get better
I smile and laugh as though
Nothing is wrong all the
While suffering silent.
I’m moving forward day by day
Hoping to find my way
If you see me lost and alone
Please hold my hand and take me home
How To Make Your Doctor Listen
After a patient of mine had an arthroscopic partial knee replacement, he found that his pain was worse than ever. He went back to his orthopedist, who ordered an X-ray and assured him that everything was fine. But when the patient returned to the surgeon and said that he was still in severe pain, he was stunned to hear the doctor respond, “That’s not possible.” So the patient sought a second opinion and after undergoing a total knee replacement was told that his pain had come from a stress fracture in the femur, a rare complication of the first operation.
No one likes to be blown off , but when you’re concerned about your health, more than feelings are at stake. Here are five steps you can take in a doctor’s office to make sure that the physician is really listening to you.
Get right to the point
Doctors get distracted when you give them a lot of superfluous information. (“I was on my way to the supermarket because we were all out of eggs, and my husband said he wanted an omelet that morning...”) Lead off with your main problem: for example, “I’m here today because I’ve had abdominal pain for the past week.” Doctors call it your “chief complaint” and it helps them ask the right questions.
Focus on one issue at a time
Regular office visits, as opposed to new-patient visits and annual physicals, are usually scheduled for 5 to 30 minutes. So it’s often difficult for doctors to discuss multiple medical issues without getting behind and keeping other patients waiting. Try to address one problem at a time and characterize it thoroughly. If there are several issues you want to address, tell the receptionist in advance that you might need a longer time. Or at your appointment ask your doctor if he or she has time to delve into another problem. If not, schedule another visit.
Use clear, descriptive language.
When rock singer Bret Michaels suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, he reportedly characterized the experience as feeling as if he’d been “hit in the head with a baseball bat over and over again,” which probably led doctors to focus on the thunderclap headache that is characteristic of the hemorrhage. Be prepared to describe to your doctor how long you’ve had the problem, how often it occurs, how long it lasts, and how severe it is.
Don’t embellish
The patient who always uses superlatives to explain symptoms risks being labeled as histrionic. Doctors listen more to someone they know to be levelheaded when he or she says that the pain is “the worst of my life” than someone who always describes symptoms as most severe.
Speak up!
Let your doctor know if you feel that something important has been ignored. Nothing gets doctors’ attention more quickly than a direct statement such as, “I feel like I’m not getting my point across to you, doc.” They might be distracted by worries about a patient in the emergency room waiting to be seen or a patient they saw earlier in the day with a terminal illness. But most of them would rather hear what you’re thinking than have you leave the office angry or frustrated.
Source: Consumer Reports 07/2011
Suicide Rates Linked To
Economic Downturns
Everyone is familiar with stories of businessmen jumping to their deaths from window ledges during the Great Depression. New data from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention indicated that those stories, sometimes viewed as apocryphal, have a strong basis in fact: The rate of suicides rises during times of economic hardship and declines in periods of prosperity.
The association however, holds strongly only for adults of working age, those between 25 and 54 years old, the authors reported Wednesday in the online version of the American Journal of Public Health.
And overall, suicides are only a small proportion of deaths, even at times when rates peak. “The rates were higher during the Great Depression, but not incredibly high,” said Dr. Alexander E. Crosby, a medical epidemiologist in the CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention and a coauthor of the paper. “But suicide is still a relatively rare event when you talk about all the events that cause deaths.”
Earlier studies examining links between economic conditions and suicide have covered only relatively short periods and small groups, and have produced conflicting results, with studies in some countries showing a link and research in other countries showing none. The CDC study is by far the most expansive, covering a period of 80 years and eight distinct age groups.
Overall, the study - which did not distinguish between men and women - found that the suicide rate was 18 per 100,000 adults in 1928, the earliest year for which data were available, and climbed to 22.1 per 100,000 in 1932, the last full year of the Great Depression. That 22.8% jump over a four-year period is the largest in history.
Since then, the suicide rate has been dropping, with much smaller increases at the end of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal (1937-38), the oil crisis (1973-75) and the Double-Dip Recession (1980-82). By 2007, the rate had dropped to 11.2 per 100,000 people and suicide was the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for 34,598 deaths.
The authors’ interest in the subject was initially triggered by concerns about what effect the most recent recession might have on the suicide rate, but not enough data were available for that period yet, Crosby said.
Article Continued on Page 5DBSA TAMPA BAY NEWSLETTER 5 September - December 2011
The greatest decline in suicide rates over the eight decades of the study was observed in older Americans. The 65 and older group had the highest suicide rates during the Great Depression (53 per 100,000 for Americans ages 65-74), but rates have been falling steadily since then, have shown little deviation due to economic stress, and are now at the same level as other groups.
That decline is probably because of much better medical care which has reduced feelings of hopelessness among the elderly......................................It is probably not surprising that the group at the prime working age is most susceptible to economic variations, the authors wrote. Those individuals are responsible for mortgage payments, health insurance, children’s educations and a variety of other expenses.
A lesson from this study is that communities need to focus prevention efforts on certain groups, particularly working adults ages 25 to 54, the authors said.
For those who don’t know where to turn, there is a national crisis hotline, 1-800-273-TALK.
Source: LA Times 4/15/2011
by Thomas Maugh
When People Are Posion
Suicide Rates Linked to Economic Downturns
Continued from Page 4
Do you have a difficult relative? Here’s how to detoxify the relationship - and know when to call it quits.
There’s no psychiatric diagnosis of “toxic personality”, but if you’ve got a toxic person in your family, you’ll know. It’s the person who manages to turn every get together into an opportunity to drive you crazy. They could be narcissistic, paranoid, or pathologically needy, and you may never be able to change that. But in my practice as a psychiatrist, I have discovered some simple tactics that could help you change the way a toxic person makes you feel.
Brain scientists have identified how such people draw you into their game: by subverting the way your brain makes decisions. Strong emotions short-circuit the brain’s rational thought processes. So before you see your problem relative, prepare yourself. When they push your buttons, what will you do to stay calm? Take deep breaths? Decide on a strategy and practice it.
Then, when the person hurts or disappoints you, stay rational. Gently tell them immediately that you’re hurt, and let them know what you would prefer they do in the future. “Focusing on the future, which no one has messed up yet, is always preferable to rehashing something that has already happened”, says Karen Salmansohn, author of The Bounce Back Book.
If that softball approach hasn’t worked in the past, you can try what I call the Clint Eastwood method. Take a deep breath, let it go, look them in the eye, and then...pause. Next, say something that will make them reflect. It can be as simple as “Huh?” You won’t cure them by channeling Clint Eastwood. But you can defuse the kind of situation that used to lead to a fight, just by refusing to engage.
Some people seem to delight in embarrassing others at gatherings. If you’ve got a relative like that, how do you protect yourself? The secret is knowing what drives behavior. Most toxic people think the world doesn’t respect them. So give them an important job. Ask them to serve as a cohost, making others feel comfortable. This will give them the attention they crave, but in a more helpful way.
Sometimes a family member is so damaged or cruel that no coping mechanism will make them bearable. If you have tried every avenue and still need to distance yourself, very calmly tell the person exactly which behavior you cannot tolerate and say you need to take a break. Handling them in a gracious way shows you haven’t been infected with their toxicity.
Mark Goulston, M.K%, is the author of Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone.
Source: AARP The Magazine
January/February 2011
DBSA Tampa Bay is an all volunteer non-profit
organization
DBSA Tampa Bay does not endorse or recommend the use of any specific treatments or medications mentioned in this newsletter. For advice about specific treatments or medications, individuals should consult their physicians and / or mental health professionals.
DBSA Tampa Bay Website:
www.dbsatampabay.org
The place to learn more!
Research back issues of our newsletter.
Discover documents of interest.
Link to other resources.DBSA TAMPA BAY NEWSLETTER 6 September - December 2011
Continued from Page 1
From The Outside Looking In
Written by Melanie Malcuit
was going to come in and stab us to death. I would be walking through the house from one room to the next and this violent beast would just take over him and he would attack me for no apparent reason. As he got bigger, it became harder for me to defend myself.
Before I go any further, I want to make one thing clear…my son is a loving and caring individual with a huge heart. This behavior that takes over him is NOT who he really is…it is the disorder that he suffers from. At the request of his psychiatrist, I sent my son to live with his biological father back home in TN.
His biological father is physically much larger than me and could physically control our son to calm him
down when he became out of control. This was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life at this point…later I would learn that there are many hard decisions that a parent of a child who suffers with bipolar and intermittent explosive disorder will have to make.
If I had only known then what I know now…This is a phrase that many of us will contemplate in our lifetime for sure; I still do to this day. If I had known then what I know now, I would have known that stimulants could have an adverse reaction on people who suffer from bipolar disorder…making them more aggressive. If I had known this, I would have questioned the earlier diagnosis of ADHD. ADHD kids, on average, are not suicidal or homicidal…they are just hyperactive. For many years my son battled the aggressiveness inside him, self medicating with alcohol and marijuana…among many other things.
He finally realized on his own that the stimulants were the culprit and he stopped taking them without telling anyone. By the time he was sixteen he was so depressed that he was suicidal again.
It was time for a new doctor and a psychological re evaluation. When my son was sixteen, he was finally given the correct diagnosis of bipolar disorder. We finally had a name and we could do battle with the disorder raging inside my son. And believe me when I say “raging” is not putting it mildly.
Not long after the bipolar diagnosis, I brought my son back home so that I could help him get through the very real and very scary suicidal period that he was going through. New doctors, new meds, new therapists…nothing seemed to work. I think by this time my son had all but given up and was ready to embrace the rages inside. But the problem was that the rages didn’t stay inside…These rages became Chernobyl experiences…meltdowns of epic proportions. The windshield of my car has been busted two times, once while driving on a main road in the middle of morning rush hour traffic. Our house has so many holes, the walls look like Swiss cheese. Our front door has been replaced once and will have to be replaced again soon because the door jamb is split into where he busted through during a rage event and these are just a few among many. It is not just the damage to the home but the damage that my son sustains to himself during these rages that are so traumatic. He once kicked out the sliding glass door and nearly cut his leg off…leaving permanent nerve damage to his shin and lower leg. His hands are constantly swollen from hitting and punching things. X-rays and stitches will always be a part of his life I fear.
Last year alone he was hospitalized on four different occasions and was arrested twice. I wondered if our suffering would ever end. After all of the horrible experiences of the different side effects of so many different medications that were tried…we have finally found a cocktail that seems to be working fairly well. He still has his moments, things still get punched but on the whole, he is doing much better these days. The repercussions of my son’s behavior have come at a very high price. It has us cost our family, our home, our retirement and my marriage. These things can never be brought back but I have to stand tall and say that everything happens for a reason. I may not see it yet but every time I look at my son, I still feel love and compassion. I know that this life will never be easy for us but it is the life we have been dealt. My hope is that one day my son will continue to do well enough that he could be a beacon of hope for someone else that is just beginning this journey; so that they can see this diagnosis is not a diagnosis for hopelessness…there is always hope! I feel this every time I hold my son’s newborn daughter in my arms and see the sparkle of love in his eye as he looks at her himself. One day, hopefully soon, he will realize that his life is filled with hope and it is his for the taking!
I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to my beacon of hope, John Massolio, who founded our Tampa Bay chapter of DBSA. You and all of the wonderful friends that I have made through DBSA Tampa Bay have brought me through so much. Wherever this life takes my son and me, just know that it is
because of you all that I myself have the strength to carry on and for that I am eternally grateful.
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Tampa Bay’s mission is to provide education, self-help, fellowship and other direct services to people with Affective Disorders and to their relatives and friends.
This organization is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization operated by it’s members. DBSA Tampa Bay is affiliated with the national organization DBSA. Contributions are tax deductible as provided by law.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Tampa Bay
SUPPORT GROUPS
Please be on time in consideration of others.
Times and locations may change due to circumstances beyond our control
Support Group Guidelines
* We are here to support mental health and
your prescribed treatment. Family and
friends are welcome.
* We maintain confidentiality: What is said
in group stays there.
* As volunteer facilitators, we help guide
your discussions. We share experiences,
wisdom, successes, and common problems.
* We limit the discussions to depressive,
bipolar, and other affective disorders.
* We are not mental health professionals
and do not diagnose, advise or recommend
specific treatments or doctors.
* Our participants respond with compassion,
not judgment. Sharing is encouraged, how
ever you are not required to. You may
remain silent if you wish.
* We are support groups and not therapy
groups. We are here to give and receive
support.
Brandon (Tampa):
Monday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Brandon Christian Church
910 Bryan Road (at Lumsden)
Tampa (Northdale):
First and Third Thursdays,
6:30 PM - 7:45 PM
Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library
Room Number 1
2902 W. Bearss Avenue
James Haley Veterans Hospital
First and Third Thursdays
7:00 - 8:30 PM.
13000 Bruce B Downs
Rm 1C-104
Town and Country Hospital:
Wednesday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
6001 Webb Road
Meeting in Cafeteria Private Room 1
USF Area (Tampa):
Tuesday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
USF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.
3515 East Fletcher Ave.
Directions: From Fletcher Ave, turn south at Magnolia Drive. The Psychiatry Center is the first building on the left.
Project Return Community Center:
Friday 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
304 W. Waters Ave., Tampa
St. Petersburg (West side):
Thursday at 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Pasadena Community Church
The Life Enrichment Center Room 3A
( Behind the Church ) 227 70th St. S.
St. Petersburg:
Monday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Lutheran Church of the Cross
4545 Chancellor St., NE
From 4th Street turn East on 62nd Ave N. Turn right on Bayou Grande Blvd. NE. Turn left on Shore Acres Blvd. NE. Turn right on Chancellor St. NE.
St. Petersburg Baptist Church
Tuesday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
1900 Gandy Blvd. N.
Rooms 9 and 10
- Regular Support Group
- Group for spouses and significant others only
Zephyrhills:
Monday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Florida Hospital (formerly EPMC)
7050 Gall Blvd. (Use Hwy. 301)
Meeting is in the Speech Therapy Room near the Wellness Center.
National Suicide Hotline:
1-800-SUICIDE
Would You Like
To Reach Us?
Call 813-878-2906
or you can also email us at:
info@dbsatampabay.org
Would you like to
become a member of the
DBSA Tampa Bay?
Would you like to receive our newsletter?
Please refer to the application on page 7.
We also appreciate any donations which help
to defray the cost of our services
Thank You.
Multiple Copies?
DBSA Tampa Bay members, affiliates and supporters may order multiple
copies of our newsletter via
Priority Mail for $24/year (3 issues).
A packet holds about 25 newsletters
DBSA Tampa Bay
PO Box 340572
Tampa, FL 33694
DBSA Tampa Bay Executive Board 2010 - 2011:
Professional Advisor:
Michael F. Sheehan, M.D.
Founder:
John C. Massolio, Jr.
Executive Board:
President: Neil Bush
1st Vice President: Colby Jaynes
2nd Vice President: Gina D. Burford
Treasurer: Carol Yaros
Secretary: Janne Ketrow
Editor: Gina D. Burford
From The Outside Looking In
Written by Melanie Malcuit
The past 20 years have not been easy. This ride that I got on the day my son was born has taken so many twists and turns that I hardly know where I am at from one day to the next. But…although not easy…it is one that I would not trade for anything because I know that I would not be the strong, dependable and compassionate person that I am today if I had not seen the things that he has endured with my own eyes. In fact, I have to remind my son often that he is not alone…whatever happens to him happens to me also.
After my son turned six we started noticing changes in his behavior that were just not “normal”, for whatever that word means. I truly don’t feel that anyone is “normal” per say but that his behavior was just different enough for us to take notice. His first grade teacher began calling on a daily basis reporting his misbehavior. He was not mean or anything, he was just disruptive. At the same time I constantly had to fuss with him to get his homework done. At his teacher’s advice I took him to see a psychiatrist who subsequently diagnosed him with ADHD and prescribed a stimulant which did wonders for his concentration at home and school.
It was not long after the ADHD diagnosis that my son started contemplating suicide. Suicide at the age of six! What the heck was going on here? He was actively thinking of and verbally expressing ways to end his life. This was when we sought out counseling for the first time. Somewhere during the next couple of years, the suicidal thoughts turned into thoughts of hurting others. We could not make plans or go anywhere because of my son’s increasingly violent outburst. He would always tell us that we were “wasting his time” by trying to do something that he did not want to do.
My son always had friends when he was younger; there were a lot of kids around the same age in our neighborhood. But I’ll never forget the day when a neighbor boy came to my door and told me that Caleb had thrown a hammer at him, trying to hit him in the head. I was so confused…I wondered what in the world this boy had done to my son to make him so angry. When I confronted my son, he told me, after about an hour of trying to drag the truth out of him, that he could not tell me what he had done because it was so bad that he was afraid that I would not love him anymore. I told him that I was his mother and although I may not like or agree with some of the things that he has done or will do in his lifetime, I will ALWAYS love him. This is when he finally opened up and told me that the boy was playing with someone else in his front yard and wasn’t paying any attention to him…so he came home and took the hammer out of the garage and tried to hit the boy in the head with it. Needless to say, I was in shock. This was something altogether new and it really scared me.
This violent behavior became increasingly worse. I began hiding the knives and other things that could be used as weapons in the home. My husband and I began locking our bedroom door at night after my son told us that we had better do so because one night while we were sleeping he
From The Outside Looking In
Continued Page 6
The next DBSA Tampa Bay
Lecture Series will be scheduled in October 2011.
Please continue to check our website,
www.dbsatampabay.org
for additional information.
IN THIS ISSUE
From The Outside Looking In.............p. 1.1
Bipolar and BPD...................................p. 3.3
My Secret Place...........................................p. 3.3
Suicide Rates.........................................p. 4.4
When People are Poison.......................p. 5.5
DBSA Bowling Information.................p. 6.6
DBSA TAMPA BAY NEWSLETTER 2 September - December 2011
Educational
Resources
American Psychiatric Association
888-357-7924 • www.psych.org
American Psychological Association
800-964-2000 • www.apa.org
Advocacy Center
800-342-0823www.advocacy center.com
Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation
847-256-8525 • www.bpkids.org
DBSA (National)
800-826-3632www.DBSAlliance.orgdbsa.invisionzone.comfacingus.org
Military Veterans Suicide Hotline
1 800-273-8255
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
800-950-6264 • www.nami.org
National Association for the Dually Diagnosed
800-331-5362
National Family Caregivers Association
301-942-6430
National Foundation for Depressive Illnesses
800-248-4344
National Institute of Mental Health
800-421-4211 • www.nimh.nih.gov
Panic Disorder Line:
800-64PANIC(7-2642)
Anxiety Disorder Line:
800-888-8-ANXIETY(26-9438)
National Mental Health Association
800-989-6642 • www.nmha.org
Confidential Depression Screening
www.depression-screening.org
The Fly lady
flylady.net
A Message FromOur President
Thanks to the new members and those that have made donations to renew their Lifetime Membership. The Lifetime Members have given of their time and leadership over the last 25 years. Volunteers and money are vital to continue the services we offer. We encourage non- members to help sustain our services through volunteering, monetary contributions, or both.
Locations that sponsor our support groups to meet free, it is with great gratitude we thank them. Without their support DBSATB could not sponsor the great support groups in the Tampa Bay area. If you know of a venue that would sponsor a support group please contact us.
There will be a fund raiser at Brandon Crossroads Bowling, 609 Crater Lane, Tampa, Florida 33619 on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. For a donation to DBSA Tampa Bay of $15.00, that includes shoe rental and two hours of bowling. Those persons who do not have time to participate and you would like to sponsor please send the funds to our DBSA Tampa Bay, P.O. Box 340572, Tampa, Florida 33694. Welcome to all and join us for some time to share and fellowship!
If you or someone you know has any idea for fund raisers, media or publicity, please feel free to contact us at info@dbsatampabay.org to tell us your ideas and thoughts. DBSA Tampa Bay is about getting the word out about mental illnesses as well as raising funds to keep our organization alive.
Thanks to Richard for many hours of being the DBSATB Web Site Manager, Editor of the Newsletter and Administrator for the Phone. John Balcomb will be the new Web Site Manager, Gina D. Burford will be the Editor of the Newsletter, Mary Watkins and Rene Anderson will be the Administrators for the Phone. We are truly blessed to have all the volunteers that serve on the Board of Directors, facilitators and co-facilitators, lecture series and all those that help the facilitators.
P.O. Box 340572, Tampa, Florida 33694 by May 15, 2011. Thank you for your continued support of DBSA Tampa Bay.
Sincerely,
Neil Bush
Neil BushPresident
DBSA Tampa Bay
Speaker’s Bureau
Would you like to have a speaker at your group or organization?
Members of our organization volunteer to give informal talks about depression and bipolar illness.
For more information, please email us at info@dbsatampabay.org
Ways to Avoid Depression Relapse
• Staying healthy
• Don’t take on too much
• Exercise regularly
• Work on a positive attitude
• Take care of your health
• Put off big decisions
• Stop blaming yourself
• Watch your diet
• Don’t stop treatment
• Volunteer
• Avoid alcohol and drugs
• Manage stress
• Have an attitude of gratitude
• Join a support group
• Reconnect
• Build your self-esteem
• Talk to people you trust
• Get your restDBSA TAMPA BAY NEWSLETTER 3 September - December 2011
Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder
My Secret Place
Are Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder related? Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has been a controversial diagnosis when it was first recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1980. One controversy that still has not been resolved is whether BPD is actually just a variation of bipolar disorder.
How are Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder Similar?
The primary reason that some experts have proposed BPD and bipolar disorder may be related is that they share the common feature of mood instability. Bipolar disorder is associated with shifts from depression to mania (a mood characterized by elation, decreased need for sleep, and an increase in activity) or hypo mania (similar to mania but less severe). BPD is also associated with mood changes (sometimes called ‘emotion deregulation’ or affective instability). People with BPD can frequently change from feeling fine to feeling extremely distressed in a matter of minutes. Impulsive behavior is also frequently experienced both by people with bipolar disorder and by people with BPD.
How are Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder Different?
What is the difference between BPD and bipolar disorder, then? Some major components separate the two. While the disorders are both characterized by mood changes, the quality of the mood changes can be very different. In BPD, mood changes are often more short-lived: they may last for a few hours at a time. In contrast, mood changes in bipolar disorder tend to last for days or even weeks. Also, mood shifts in BPD tend to last for days or even weeks. Also, mood shifts in BPD are usually in reaction to an environmental stressor such as an argument with a loved one, whereas mood shifts in bipolar disorder may occur out-of-the-blue. Finally, the mood shifts typical of BPD rarely involve elation; usually the shift is from feeling upset to feeling ‘OK’, not from feeling bad to feeling a high or elevated mood which is more typical of bipolar disorder.
Are Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder Related?
Although it is not yet clear-cut, research has not found a strong relationship between BPD and bipolar disorder. There is some evidence that people with BPD are diagnosed with bipolar disorder at higher rates than individuals with other personality disorders. One study found that about 20% of individuals with BPD are also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, whereas only about 10% of people with other personality disorders are also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This could mean there is some relationship between BPD and bipolar, but it could also be attributed to imprecision in diagnosis, or in the individuals making the diagnosis.
Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder: The Bottom Line
So far, there is not enough research to suggest that BPD and bipolar disorder are related. Although there are definitely some shared features, there are also some marked differences between BPD and dipolar disorder. The co-occurrence of BPD and bipolar disorder is not large enough to suggest that the two disorders are related. However, more research is needed on this topic. It may be that future research on the genetic and biological causes may reveal some undiscovered relationship between the two conditions.
Source: About.com/DPDVBipolar.htm
Submitted by David Thompson
A house above on a hill
Snow and cardboard in hand
Is the best thrill
The opposite hill offers even better thrills
Down below in the creek
So slow, you must wait
It stops to grow
Wading to new depths and curves
Only if you have the nerves
Ahoy, look at the newly made
Pond, hidden by the willow tree
It is so amazing for us to see,
We started swinging from the willow tree
Calm and cool, my secret place,
It was nice to feel a smile on my face
I’ve left it now, it’s in my mind
I still visit it when it’s time...
Piece By Piece
Submitted by David Thompson
As I listen to the radio
Thoughts and feelings rush to mind
Always of another time
Sometimes happy, sometimes sad
They are a part of me and I’m glad
Sometimes the tears flow
to give soothing for my Soul
A broken heart pieced together
Piece by piece it will get better
I smile and laugh as though
Nothing is wrong all the
While suffering silent.
I’m moving forward day by day
Hoping to find my way
If you see me lost and alone
Please hold my hand and take me home
How To Make Your Doctor Listen
After a patient of mine had an arthroscopic partial knee replacement, he found that his pain was worse than ever. He went back to his orthopedist, who ordered an X-ray and assured him that everything was fine. But when the patient returned to the surgeon and said that he was still in severe pain, he was stunned to hear the doctor respond, “That’s not possible.” So the patient sought a second opinion and after undergoing a total knee replacement was told that his pain had come from a stress fracture in the femur, a rare complication of the first operation.
No one likes to be blown off , but when you’re concerned about your health, more than feelings are at stake. Here are five steps you can take in a doctor’s office to make sure that the physician is really listening to you.
Get right to the point
Doctors get distracted when you give them a lot of superfluous information. (“I was on my way to the supermarket because we were all out of eggs, and my husband said he wanted an omelet that morning...”) Lead off with your main problem: for example, “I’m here today because I’ve had abdominal pain for the past week.” Doctors call it your “chief complaint” and it helps them ask the right questions.
Focus on one issue at a time
Regular office visits, as opposed to new-patient visits and annual physicals, are usually scheduled for 5 to 30 minutes. So it’s often difficult for doctors to discuss multiple medical issues without getting behind and keeping other patients waiting. Try to address one problem at a time and characterize it thoroughly. If there are several issues you want to address, tell the receptionist in advance that you might need a longer time. Or at your appointment ask your doctor if he or she has time to delve into another problem. If not, schedule another visit.
Use clear, descriptive language.
When rock singer Bret Michaels suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, he reportedly characterized the experience as feeling as if he’d been “hit in the head with a baseball bat over and over again,” which probably led doctors to focus on the thunderclap headache that is characteristic of the hemorrhage. Be prepared to describe to your doctor how long you’ve had the problem, how often it occurs, how long it lasts, and how severe it is.
Don’t embellish
The patient who always uses superlatives to explain symptoms risks being labeled as histrionic. Doctors listen more to someone they know to be levelheaded when he or she says that the pain is “the worst of my life” than someone who always describes symptoms as most severe.
Speak up!
Let your doctor know if you feel that something important has been ignored. Nothing gets doctors’ attention more quickly than a direct statement such as, “I feel like I’m not getting my point across to you, doc.” They might be distracted by worries about a patient in the emergency room waiting to be seen or a patient they saw earlier in the day with a terminal illness. But most of them would rather hear what you’re thinking than have you leave the office angry or frustrated.
Source: Consumer Reports 07/2011
Suicide Rates Linked To
Economic Downturns
Everyone is familiar with stories of businessmen jumping to their deaths from window ledges during the Great Depression. New data from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention indicated that those stories, sometimes viewed as apocryphal, have a strong basis in fact: The rate of suicides rises during times of economic hardship and declines in periods of prosperity.
The association however, holds strongly only for adults of working age, those between 25 and 54 years old, the authors reported Wednesday in the online version of the American Journal of Public Health.
And overall, suicides are only a small proportion of deaths, even at times when rates peak. “The rates were higher during the Great Depression, but not incredibly high,” said Dr. Alexander E. Crosby, a medical epidemiologist in the CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention and a coauthor of the paper. “But suicide is still a relatively rare event when you talk about all the events that cause deaths.”
Earlier studies examining links between economic conditions and suicide have covered only relatively short periods and small groups, and have produced conflicting results, with studies in some countries showing a link and research in other countries showing none. The CDC study is by far the most expansive, covering a period of 80 years and eight distinct age groups.
Overall, the study - which did not distinguish between men and women - found that the suicide rate was 18 per 100,000 adults in 1928, the earliest year for which data were available, and climbed to 22.1 per 100,000 in 1932, the last full year of the Great Depression. That 22.8% jump over a four-year period is the largest in history.
Since then, the suicide rate has been dropping, with much smaller increases at the end of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal (1937-38), the oil crisis (1973-75) and the Double-Dip Recession (1980-82). By 2007, the rate had dropped to 11.2 per 100,000 people and suicide was the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for 34,598 deaths.
The authors’ interest in the subject was initially triggered by concerns about what effect the most recent recession might have on the suicide rate, but not enough data were available for that period yet, Crosby said.
Article Continued on Page 5DBSA TAMPA BAY NEWSLETTER 5 September - December 2011
The greatest decline in suicide rates over the eight decades of the study was observed in older Americans. The 65 and older group had the highest suicide rates during the Great Depression (53 per 100,000 for Americans ages 65-74), but rates have been falling steadily since then, have shown little deviation due to economic stress, and are now at the same level as other groups.
That decline is probably because of much better medical care which has reduced feelings of hopelessness among the elderly......................................It is probably not surprising that the group at the prime working age is most susceptible to economic variations, the authors wrote. Those individuals are responsible for mortgage payments, health insurance, children’s educations and a variety of other expenses.
A lesson from this study is that communities need to focus prevention efforts on certain groups, particularly working adults ages 25 to 54, the authors said.
For those who don’t know where to turn, there is a national crisis hotline, 1-800-273-TALK.
Source: LA Times 4/15/2011
by Thomas Maugh
When People Are Posion
Suicide Rates Linked to Economic Downturns
Continued from Page 4
Do you have a difficult relative? Here’s how to detoxify the relationship - and know when to call it quits.
There’s no psychiatric diagnosis of “toxic personality”, but if you’ve got a toxic person in your family, you’ll know. It’s the person who manages to turn every get together into an opportunity to drive you crazy. They could be narcissistic, paranoid, or pathologically needy, and you may never be able to change that. But in my practice as a psychiatrist, I have discovered some simple tactics that could help you change the way a toxic person makes you feel.
Brain scientists have identified how such people draw you into their game: by subverting the way your brain makes decisions. Strong emotions short-circuit the brain’s rational thought processes. So before you see your problem relative, prepare yourself. When they push your buttons, what will you do to stay calm? Take deep breaths? Decide on a strategy and practice it.
Then, when the person hurts or disappoints you, stay rational. Gently tell them immediately that you’re hurt, and let them know what you would prefer they do in the future. “Focusing on the future, which no one has messed up yet, is always preferable to rehashing something that has already happened”, says Karen Salmansohn, author of The Bounce Back Book.
If that softball approach hasn’t worked in the past, you can try what I call the Clint Eastwood method. Take a deep breath, let it go, look them in the eye, and then...pause. Next, say something that will make them reflect. It can be as simple as “Huh?” You won’t cure them by channeling Clint Eastwood. But you can defuse the kind of situation that used to lead to a fight, just by refusing to engage.
Some people seem to delight in embarrassing others at gatherings. If you’ve got a relative like that, how do you protect yourself? The secret is knowing what drives behavior. Most toxic people think the world doesn’t respect them. So give them an important job. Ask them to serve as a cohost, making others feel comfortable. This will give them the attention they crave, but in a more helpful way.
Sometimes a family member is so damaged or cruel that no coping mechanism will make them bearable. If you have tried every avenue and still need to distance yourself, very calmly tell the person exactly which behavior you cannot tolerate and say you need to take a break. Handling them in a gracious way shows you haven’t been infected with their toxicity.
Mark Goulston, M.K%, is the author of Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone.
Source: AARP The Magazine
January/February 2011
DBSA Tampa Bay is an all volunteer non-profit
organization
DBSA Tampa Bay does not endorse or recommend the use of any specific treatments or medications mentioned in this newsletter. For advice about specific treatments or medications, individuals should consult their physicians and / or mental health professionals.
DBSA Tampa Bay Website:
www.dbsatampabay.org
The place to learn more!
Research back issues of our newsletter.
Discover documents of interest.
Link to other resources.DBSA TAMPA BAY NEWSLETTER 6 September - December 2011
Continued from Page 1
From The Outside Looking In
Written by Melanie Malcuit
was going to come in and stab us to death. I would be walking through the house from one room to the next and this violent beast would just take over him and he would attack me for no apparent reason. As he got bigger, it became harder for me to defend myself.
Before I go any further, I want to make one thing clear…my son is a loving and caring individual with a huge heart. This behavior that takes over him is NOT who he really is…it is the disorder that he suffers from. At the request of his psychiatrist, I sent my son to live with his biological father back home in TN.
His biological father is physically much larger than me and could physically control our son to calm him
down when he became out of control. This was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life at this point…later I would learn that there are many hard decisions that a parent of a child who suffers with bipolar and intermittent explosive disorder will have to make.
If I had only known then what I know now…This is a phrase that many of us will contemplate in our lifetime for sure; I still do to this day. If I had known then what I know now, I would have known that stimulants could have an adverse reaction on people who suffer from bipolar disorder…making them more aggressive. If I had known this, I would have questioned the earlier diagnosis of ADHD. ADHD kids, on average, are not suicidal or homicidal…they are just hyperactive. For many years my son battled the aggressiveness inside him, self medicating with alcohol and marijuana…among many other things.
He finally realized on his own that the stimulants were the culprit and he stopped taking them without telling anyone. By the time he was sixteen he was so depressed that he was suicidal again.
It was time for a new doctor and a psychological re evaluation. When my son was sixteen, he was finally given the correct diagnosis of bipolar disorder. We finally had a name and we could do battle with the disorder raging inside my son. And believe me when I say “raging” is not putting it mildly.
Not long after the bipolar diagnosis, I brought my son back home so that I could help him get through the very real and very scary suicidal period that he was going through. New doctors, new meds, new therapists…nothing seemed to work. I think by this time my son had all but given up and was ready to embrace the rages inside. But the problem was that the rages didn’t stay inside…These rages became Chernobyl experiences…meltdowns of epic proportions. The windshield of my car has been busted two times, once while driving on a main road in the middle of morning rush hour traffic. Our house has so many holes, the walls look like Swiss cheese. Our front door has been replaced once and will have to be replaced again soon because the door jamb is split into where he busted through during a rage event and these are just a few among many. It is not just the damage to the home but the damage that my son sustains to himself during these rages that are so traumatic. He once kicked out the sliding glass door and nearly cut his leg off…leaving permanent nerve damage to his shin and lower leg. His hands are constantly swollen from hitting and punching things. X-rays and stitches will always be a part of his life I fear.
Last year alone he was hospitalized on four different occasions and was arrested twice. I wondered if our suffering would ever end. After all of the horrible experiences of the different side effects of so many different medications that were tried…we have finally found a cocktail that seems to be working fairly well. He still has his moments, things still get punched but on the whole, he is doing much better these days. The repercussions of my son’s behavior have come at a very high price. It has us cost our family, our home, our retirement and my marriage. These things can never be brought back but I have to stand tall and say that everything happens for a reason. I may not see it yet but every time I look at my son, I still feel love and compassion. I know that this life will never be easy for us but it is the life we have been dealt. My hope is that one day my son will continue to do well enough that he could be a beacon of hope for someone else that is just beginning this journey; so that they can see this diagnosis is not a diagnosis for hopelessness…there is always hope! I feel this every time I hold my son’s newborn daughter in my arms and see the sparkle of love in his eye as he looks at her himself. One day, hopefully soon, he will realize that his life is filled with hope and it is his for the taking!
I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to my beacon of hope, John Massolio, who founded our Tampa Bay chapter of DBSA. You and all of the wonderful friends that I have made through DBSA Tampa Bay have brought me through so much. Wherever this life takes my son and me, just know that it is
because of you all that I myself have the strength to carry on and for that I am eternally grateful.
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Tampa Bay’s mission is to provide education, self-help, fellowship and other direct services to people with Affective Disorders and to their relatives and friends.
This organization is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization operated by it’s members. DBSA Tampa Bay is affiliated with the national organization DBSA. Contributions are tax deductible as provided by law.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Tampa Bay
SUPPORT GROUPS
Please be on time in consideration of others.
Times and locations may change due to circumstances beyond our control
Support Group Guidelines
* We are here to support mental health and
your prescribed treatment. Family and
friends are welcome.
* We maintain confidentiality: What is said
in group stays there.
* As volunteer facilitators, we help guide
your discussions. We share experiences,
wisdom, successes, and common problems.
* We limit the discussions to depressive,
bipolar, and other affective disorders.
* We are not mental health professionals
and do not diagnose, advise or recommend
specific treatments or doctors.
* Our participants respond with compassion,
not judgment. Sharing is encouraged, how
ever you are not required to. You may
remain silent if you wish.
* We are support groups and not therapy
groups. We are here to give and receive
support.
Brandon (Tampa):
Monday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Brandon Christian Church
910 Bryan Road (at Lumsden)
Tampa (Northdale):
First and Third Thursdays,
6:30 PM - 7:45 PM
Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library
Room Number 1
2902 W. Bearss Avenue
James Haley Veterans Hospital
First and Third Thursdays
7:00 - 8:30 PM.
13000 Bruce B Downs
Rm 1C-104
Town and Country Hospital:
Wednesday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
6001 Webb Road
Meeting in Cafeteria Private Room 1
USF Area (Tampa):
Tuesday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
USF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.
3515 East Fletcher Ave.
Directions: From Fletcher Ave, turn south at Magnolia Drive. The Psychiatry Center is the first building on the left.
Project Return Community Center:
Friday 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
304 W. Waters Ave., Tampa
St. Petersburg (West side):
Thursday at 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Pasadena Community Church
The Life Enrichment Center Room 3A
( Behind the Church ) 227 70th St. S.
St. Petersburg:
Monday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Lutheran Church of the Cross
4545 Chancellor St., NE
From 4th Street turn East on 62nd Ave N. Turn right on Bayou Grande Blvd. NE. Turn left on Shore Acres Blvd. NE. Turn right on Chancellor St. NE.
St. Petersburg Baptist Church
Tuesday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
1900 Gandy Blvd. N.
Rooms 9 and 10
- Regular Support Group
- Group for spouses and significant others only
Zephyrhills:
Monday 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Florida Hospital (formerly EPMC)
7050 Gall Blvd. (Use Hwy. 301)
Meeting is in the Speech Therapy Room near the Wellness Center.
National Suicide Hotline:
1-800-SUICIDE
Would You Like
To Reach Us?
Call 813-878-2906
or you can also email us at:
info@dbsatampabay.org
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become a member of the
DBSA Tampa Bay?
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Please refer to the application on page 7.
We also appreciate any donations which help
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Thank You.
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copies of our newsletter via
Priority Mail for $24/year (3 issues).
A packet holds about 25 newsletters
DBSA Tampa Bay
PO Box 340572
Tampa, FL 33694
DBSA Tampa Bay Executive Board 2010 - 2011:
Professional Advisor:
Michael F. Sheehan, M.D.
Founder:
John C. Massolio, Jr.
Executive Board:
President: Neil Bush
1st Vice President: Colby Jaynes
2nd Vice President: Gina D. Burford
Treasurer: Carol Yaros
Secretary: Janne Ketrow
Editor: Gina D. Burford