August 12, 2005

Partners of adults with bipolar disorder help each other, themselves

In a room at Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH), a group of seven men and women sit in a circle, talking about manic-depression. One person describes a bout of mania he has witnessed; heads nod knowingly, and then someone else offers the name of a new medication she has found helpful with managing psychotic episodes. The people in the room sound like experts on the topic at hand, and they are, but they are not psychiatrists discussing patients or patients themselves. They are spouses and partners of adults with bipolar disorder who are members of a support group sponsored by the MGH's Mood and Anxiety Disorders Institute (MADI) Resource Center.

The MADI Resource Center's support group is one of a kind in the Boston area — a peer-facilitated group that provides an outlet for and assistance to partners of adults with high-functioning manic-depressive illness. While there have long been numerous support systems in greater Boston for people with manic-depressive illness themselves as well as for families in crisis, there was no organization that met the needs of husbands, wives and significant others dealing with the illness as a chronic condition that had significant impact on their families. Three years ago, Karen Blumenfeld, director of the MADI Resource Center, asked Chuck Weinstein, an MGH mental health counselor, to develop a program to fill that void. The result was an intimate group that has met biweekly since early 2003 to share the tears and frustrations — and joys — that go along with sharing a relationship with a person who has a serious mental illness.

The original group, a gathering of nine women and men, was so successful that a
second group was formed last year. Both groups have a stable membership closed to "drop-in" members, but both are currently open to new participants.

Weinstein explains that because the groups are both closed and self-directed — he offers only bimonthly supervision, introduces new members and trains participants in facilitation skills — prescreening is used to ensure that members are a good fit. Interested candidates have an initial phone conversation with Weinstein and then a 45-minute face-to-face meeting before they are invited to join. All members are required to make a six-month commitment, and in both groups, many members have been involved since the group started.

For most participants, the MADI group is a supplement to individual counseling and/or couples therapy – and an integral element of their ability to cope. "Bipolar disorder is incredibly stressful for families, not only because of the inherent features of the disease but also because most partners wish to keep their loved ones' illness private, and the effort to do so is a burden unto itself," Weinstein says. "The group allows these partners to share with others who understand exactly where they are and
to focus on themselves for a while. Talking about the things that we're doing for ourselves that bring pleasure is a critical part of every meeting."

The NWH site for this MGH program was chosen for its accessibility. Groups meet on alternate Thursday nights. For more information, contact Weinstein at (781) 643-7750 or send e-mail to groupfacilitator@aol.com.