New Directions Support Group
Glenside, PA 19038 - Suburban Philadelphia Area
Montgomery County, PA
A Support Group For People with: Depression, Bipolar
Disorder, Their Families & Friends in PhiladelphiaInterested in joining New Directions? Click here to find out how to.
Welcome to New Directions!
Today is Saturday, July 4th, 2009
Our Board of Directors. Scroll down to see who they are.
To contact us call 215-659-2366, ext. 1 or
email us.
We meet at
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 654 N. Easton Road, Glenside, PA 19038 on the
FIRST, THIRD and FIFTH Thursday of month. Both patients & their loved ones are invited. SEE BELOW for schedule & direx.
N E W ! Read
Ruth's latest newspaper article.
N E W !
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Diet helps fight depression
N E W ! Genetic
source of depression disputed.
N E W !
Time Mag report on preventing mental illness
Watch Ruth Z Deming, MGPGP, director of New Directions, on
YouTube for her Comcast CN8 interview.
She mentions she is cured from manic depression, as are
many others later in life.
Ruth is available as a psychotherapist.
Call her at 215-659-2142.
For valuable info, read the entire homepage plus QuikBooks on Left.
J U L Y
E V E N T S
JOIN OUR PROGRAM & follow our 14 Keys to Recovery.
By doing so your mental wellbeing will vastly improve. Our program is endorsed by our medical advisor Dr. Pam
London-Barrett "The Singing Psychiatrist." Keys include: Find a good
doctor - get on the right meds - get talk therapy - educate yourself about your
illness & your meds - remain in the workforce or, if you can't work, find
volunteer work (we all need a life of meaning!) - call one another between meetings! - do aerobic exercise
to reduce stress & to limit weight gain from meds that make us fat - reach out
to help others - and Have Fun!!!!
- Thursday, July 2- 7:30 to 9:45 pm - Evening
Meeting at
St. Peter's Episcopal Church,
654 N.
Easton Road between Pleasant & Cross, Glenside, PA 19038. Located above Sloane
auto on opposite side of street. Park in rear or on sidestreet. Walk thru
parking lot & enter via Red Door on Right.
Click here for directions. DISCUSSION:
Iris Weismer will run her
Authentic Happiness Group.
- Wednesday, July 8 - Ada's Outing to
Chanticleer Gardens in Wayne, PA. Carpool at
Abington
Prez at 9:30 a.m. or meet at Chanticleer at 10:30. Bring your picnic lunch. Thanks Ada and
Rich!
- Thursday, July 9 - Helen's Mall Talk at the
Willow Grove Mall, co-starring Marion, from
10 am till 11:30, you don't have to be on time. Meet at tables near SALADWORKS. Followed by brisk aerobic walk around mall. Call Helen at 215-646-0266 & she'll call to
remind you. Marion's no. is 215-887-3396. Teenagers
welcome!
- SPECIAL SPEAKER MEETING at Giant
Supermarket Willow Grove - Saturday, July 11, from 1 - 2 pm,
Mary Ann Moylan, RD, LDN, CDE, Nutritionist will discuss
"Eating Healthy when Taking Psychiatric Medications." Giant is at 315 York
Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090, the former Home Depot. SECOND FLOOD COMMUNITY
ROOM. 215-784-1960. Free.
SPECIAL EVENT! - Wednesday July 15 from 7 to 8:30
pm - Ruth Z Deming, MGPGP presents Conquering Bipolar Disorder &
Depession, a talk at Holy Redeemer Counseling Center, 521 Moredon Road,
Hunt. Valley, PA 19006. $20 per person. To register, call 215-938-1130.
The Counseling Center is in the huge complex on Moredon Road between
Route 232 and Pine Road.
- Thursday, July 16 - 7:30 to 9:45 pm -
NO
SPEAKER Meeting. St. Peter's Episcopal Church,
654 N.
Easton Road between Pleasant & Cross, Glenside, PA 19038. Located above Sloane
Auto on opposite side of street. Park in rear or on sidestreet.
Click here for directions. Walk thru
parking lot & enter via Red Door on Right. Bring paper & pen & prepare to learn.
Exchange contact info with like-minded individuals.
- ND recommends! Sat. afternoon, July 18, 1 to 3:30 pm -
Coffeeshop Writers Group. Held at the
Kaffeehaus at Weinrich's Bakery, 55 Easton Road, Willow Grove, PA
19090, phone 215-659-7062. Located in strip mall next to Burger King. Thanks to
host Stephen Weinrich. For info email
Ruth Deming
or call her at 215-659-2142.
- Thursday, July 23- Helen's Mall Talk at the
Willow Grove Mall, co-starring Marion, from
10 am till 11:30, you don't have to be on time. Meet at tables near SALADWORKS. Followed by brisk aerobic walk around mall. Call Helen at 215-646-0266 & she'll call to
remind you. Marion's no. is 215-887-3396. Teenagers
welcome!
- Thursday, July 30- 7:30 to 9:45 pm - FIFTH THURSDAY MEETING - Evening Meeting at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 654 N. Easton Road between Pleasant & Cross, Glenside, PA 19038. Located above Sloane auto on opposite side of street. Park in rear or on sidestreet. Walk thru parking lot & enter via Red Door on Right. Click here for directions. DISCUSSION: Iris Weismer will run her Authentic Happiness Group.
NOTE: Ruth Z. Deming, MGPGP,
the bipolar therapist & director of New Directions, is available for individual fee-for-service
consultations, home interventions & therapy. Email
her or call her at 215-659-2142.
O U R M E E T I N G S
Prepare for a great experience.
Our mission is to make you feel comfortable & to answer your concerns on the
same day you attend our meeting. We ask $5 per person and $8 per family. Our
large meeting consists of between 50-60 people. After our announcements, we
break into our small groups - Bipolar Groups, Depression groups, a Family Member
Group - all led by trained leaders.
Join us! We are the most comprehensive group around. We welcome your ideas and
invite you to join Our Team.
Attention Family Members! Murray Weismer runs our Family Member
Group and does a superb job! People tell us, "There is no other group in the area like ours": Share
your story, get practical advice and find resources to help you and your
family member. Also, two area groups provide superb
information on the difficult situation of living with a family member with a
mental illness. Check out Edie Mannion and her
TEC Family Service Program and
NAMI's Family to Family Program.
D I V E R S I F Y
Yes, yes, we've got a mental illness but let's not forget to get on with
our lives. Follow your interests & hobbies and develop new healthy neurons in
your brain. Who knows? Some day maybe the healthy neurons will free you from
your illness. Find interesting events to stimulate your mind in The Philadelphia
Inquirer -
Bucks County Alive -
Doylestown Alive.
K N O W Y O U R I L L N E S S
Click for definition of
Depression.
Click for definition of
Bipolar Disorder.
Click for definition of
Anxiety Disorders.
Click for definition of
Borderline Personality Disorder.
The government-based site NIMH (Natl Institute of Mental Health) offers the best
definitions for brain disorders such as the above. You can also order free
brochures on bipolar, depression, and anxiety from NIMH by calling toll-free:
866-615-6464.
And, please, do not say "I'm bipolar." Instead say, "I have bipolar disorder."
We are NOT our illness & have so much to offer.
If you're on disability, you can still work! Click on
this
helpful website, courtesy of our friend
Fran Hazam.
Click on Tami's site for
Borderline Personality Disorder. Here's a
Philly support group on BPD. Contact
Talya Lewis.
Homeless shelters
in the Philadelphia area & suburbs.
Click here.
N E W !
The Bipolar Foundation: Equilibrium,
an int'l nonprofit HQ'd in the UK, hosted its biennial conference in Pittsburgh
in June 09. Online conferences can be
heard here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
N E W ! HEALTHCARE in America, a
modern day horror story, straight out of Kafka.
Read this editorial.
Click
here for help with drug costs. Here are more
options for cheaper drug costs: FREE Drug Program for eligible Americans.
Click. FREE for all
eligible Pennsylvanians.
Click.
Citizens of PA can apply for help paying for your
MEDS if you have a diagnosis of schizoaffective or schizophrenia. Go to
this website, go to Mental Health; click
More; select Special Pharm. Benefits Program, Mental Health. For info,
call 877-356-5355.
EAT RIGHT, LIVE LONGER! Click on
Jane Brody's article in the Times
focusing on cardiac health. Home-cooked meals are best as they avoid sodium,
processed foods, artery-clogging fats. Eat fish, whole grains, nuts, fresh fruit
& veggies.
New study reveals heavy meat-eaters die sooner.
ARE YOU WASTING YOUR MONEY on vitamins? Read
latest research on their health benefits.
IDEA! In the dimming light of fall and winter, cheer
up your home with Flowers such as
cyclamen. They bloom indoors. Place them
prominently in your living room near a window. Get them at Produce Junction
which sells many flowers at great prices. Would you believe $2.50 per plant? Buy
4 and give one as a gift.
TAKE YOUR MEDS with water, not juice. Click on
NY Times article.
AH-CHOO! If you have an allergy or a common cold, make sure your psych
meds are not affected by your allergy or cold medicine. Research this
before swallowing!
ARE YOU A PEACENIK? Get involved with
fun-lovin' activists. Attend their events
to put meaning in your life.
VOLUNTEER & JOB OPPRS for the over-fifty set.
Coming of Age.
OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPs include the Undeniable Challenge of Our
Time, the Saving of our Planet from Pollution. Click on PBS show
NOVA: The Dimming of the Sun. Read
Times article on
Energy Efficiency.
IF YOU ENJOY working with seniors check out
Twilight Wish Foundation. You can also stop
in at the Abington
Meals on Wheels. Call them at
215-886-2206.
ASK WHAT YOUR COUNTY CAN DO FOR YOU:
Montgomery County website. Scroll down to
Dept. of Behavioral Health in left column.
WE LOVE HELPING YOU & NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP. If you enjoy reading this
website &
The Blog & Poetry of Ruth Deming, send in your tax-deductible
donation NOW. Mail to: New Directions Support Group, Inc. - PO Box
181, Hatboro, PA 19040
P R I V A T E T R E A T M E N T
C E N T E R S I N C L U D E
Beck Institute on Cognitive Therapy, Bala Cynwyd, PA, 610-664-3020
Growth Opportunity Center, Huntingdon Valley, PA, 215-947-8654
Philmont Guidance Center - Huntingdon Valley, Flourtown &
Doylestown PA
Council for Relationships, 14 locations,
215-382-6680
SRI Psychological Services, Jenkintown & Philadelphia,
215-885-3337
Psychological Services of Fort Washington, PA, 215-540-5860
Ron
Lewis Associates, Fort Washington, PA, 215-643-0200
Life Counseling Services, locations incl. J'town, Lansdale,
800-882-2799
C O M M U N I T Y M E N T A L H E A L T H C E N T
E R S (Public)
Bucks County Dept. of Mental Health
215-442-0760, ext. 0-
scroll down for listings on:
Penn Foundation in Sellersville - Lenape
Foundation in Doylestown -
Penndel MH Center in Penndel
Montgomery County Dept. of Behavioral Health
610-278-3642 - Creekwood (serves Willow Grove and Eastern Montco),
Central (serves Norristown & Central Montco) and Creative Health Services
(Pottstown and Western Montco), also Penn Foundation of Sellersville,
NHS of Lansdale
Montgomery County Emergency Service - 610-279-6100.
Excellent crisis workers (the best of anyone around!) take calls from patients
and family members 24 hours a day.
S O , W H A T ' S N U?
NAMI, Main Line of PA, published
an extensive resource guide.
C O O L T I P S F O R H O T W
E A T H E R:
Before leaving home, drink a glass of cold water. Bring a water bottle with you.
People on psych meds (esp. Lithium, Lamictal, and
antipsychotics) must be careful about being in extreme heat. If you don't have
A/C, cool off periodically at the library, bookstore, or a loved one's home. If on lithium, there's a chance your body can become toxic
(confusion, dizziness, slurred speech, abnormal gait). If so, go to the ER
immediately!
Click for more weather tips.
D I G T H I S !
Et tu, Freddie?
Read this NY Times
crash course
on the influence of drug companies on cool dudes such as co-author of
Manic-Depressive Illness.
Letters! We write letters!
Become an advocate!
Ruth's
Guest Column in the Doylestown, PA-based
Intelligencer,
Aug. 31, 2008.
Letter to the Editor,
Philly Inquirer Aug. 8, 2008.
Philly Inquirer Jan. 4, 2009. Ruth's
most recent
Letter to the Editor on the importance of
mandatory outpatient treatment for some people w/mental illness. Ruth herself
was 302'd in 1984 and thanked her mother for doing so.
Advocates like us finally pushed thru the
Mental Health Parity Bill.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY ACT resurrected in Congress on Sept. 18, 2008
after Supreme Court had interpreted the 1990 bill as narrowly as possible
denying its benefits to many disabled. Click on
Times article.
C L A S S E S for self-improvement at Belmont Center in
Philadelphia near Bala Cynwyd.
Click here.
C L I C K
Ruth's blog of Jan. 17, 2008: Why I'm Cured.
C L I C K here for Ruth's Blog entry:
Bipolar Meds.
C L I C K Ruth's
Guest Editorial in the
Doylestown, PA Intelligencer, 1-18-08.
I N F O PACKET written by 4 of our members. Click our
Quik Books
on Left.
C L I C K Excellent videos of famous
people w/mood disorders:
Mike Wallace and
Jane
Pauley, sponsored by the smart people
at
NARSAD. And DO NOT MISS this video of a law professor
w/schizophrenia.
Go Elyn Saks go!
C L I C K Resources galore for folks
with mood disorders & their families from Philly's Own
College of Physicians.
O U
R F A V O R I T E W E B S I T E S I N C L U
D E
John McManamy,
award-winning
infomaniac.
Yes, people can ENTIRELY RECOVER from mental illness and be off meds for
good! Consider these
Recovery Stories from Power2U. Use caution
even when thinking about it.
Face to Face: Health Blog on Anything that ails you
BNET: Mental Health Articles including Meds
Get daily updates on mental health: Behavioral Healthcare Journal
Superb VIDEOS on all subjects mental by NARSAD and & PBS
New York
Dr. John Grohol's Psych Central
Psych Central Meds
Crazy Meds: Informative website
Tardive Dyskinesia Center - when meds, sadly, go awry
Treatment Advocacy Center, speaking out for
the most vulnerable among us
Active Minds for Suicide Prevention with chapters on college campuses
Furious Seasons, award-winning site by Philip Dawdy
The Sidewalk Psychiatrist, Dan Hartman MD.
bp
magazine.
HealthyPlace.
PMHCA.
Bazelon
Law.
The DBSA of Chicago
Job Opportunities from The Government thru OVR
Job Opps thru The Private Sector - Hello John & Chris!
Washington Post story Healing a Troubled
Mind
Mary Ellen Copeland. Vermont-based healing
Bipolar Advantage Newsletter -
solution-oriented!
Gianna's Cautionary Tale of Going Off Meds
Ask the Therapist at PsychCentral
NYC Support Group Here We Come!
Model Support Group in New Jersey
Model support group in Delaware with a Great Name!
Gracelyn Guyol healed her bipolar disorder sans
drugs.
Kay Jamison interview w/bp Magazine
NY Times videos of 9 men & women with
bipolar disorder, July 16, 2008.
ERIC WILSON ACCEPTS & EXTOLS HIS MELANCHOLIA.
Click here.
ANDREW WEIL, MD, loves healthy foods for a
healthy
mind & body.
PHOTO CAPTION
ND Board Meeting held at La Fusion Cafe, Willow Grove,
PA, 2-8-09. Top row: Bernie Samuels; Ada Moss Fleisher;
Mitch Davis;
Rich Fleisher, DO; Scott Rubin, Esq.; Pam London Barrett, DO; Edie Mannion, MFT;
Yelena Gombar. Bottom row: Lillian Moss; Teresa Forstater; Freda Rose Samuels;
Ruth Deming; Barbara Abramek, RN.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
GOODWILL JOB INDUSTRIES offers job-retraining for new
careers that are in demand.
Check it out!
D E N T A L C A R E: For clinics in
Montgomery County. For
clinics in Bucks.
EXCELLENT INFO
B E S T B U Y D R U G S.
Photos from our
Coffeeshop Celebration April 5, 2008.
Photos from our
Abington Library Display Case for April is
Poetry Month. Did you know that many of us with mood disorders have The
Artist's Condition?
A D V A N C E S IN MEDICINE: Barking Up the
New Tree of Glutamate. Click here for
info &
foods with
glutamate.
W H Y W A T C H Y O U R D I E T ? Read this NY Times article of Feb. 5, 2008 on the life-threatening Metabolic
Syndrome.
Click here. And don't forget your
all-important aerobic exercise. Park far away & w-a-l-k. Take the
s-t-a-i-r-s.
F O R G E T F U L L L L ? Read this
Times article of 12-4-07.
M O O D C H A R T S: Is your Mood off the charts? Find
out by downloading a FREE mood chart, invented by Gary Sachs, MD.
Click here & scroll down. For a comment by
originator Gary Sachs,
click here. Thanks to Our Jessica for
reminding us of the importance of mood charting!
S I G N U P for FREE email
alerts on Advocacy Issues affecting those of us with Mental Illness or
our Loved Ones. Click on
Mental Health America. Click on
NAMI.
F I R S T G E N O M E S T U D Y O N B
I P O L A R from National Institute of Mental Health.
Click here to learn about the combined,
small effects of variations in many different genes in the brain, none of
which is powerful enough to cause the disease by itself. Study published in
Molecular Psychiatry, May 8, 2007.
OUR INFORMATION PACKET, written by 4 of our members,
appears on wikiHow, part of
Wikipedia visited by millions of people per
day.
Purchase HEALTH INSURANCE from this Award-winning Website.
Click here. Uninsured & between the ages
of 19 - 64 w/pre-existing conditions? Contact Uninsured Hotline for
Pennsylvanians at 800-234-1317 or
click here.
We encourage our members
to remain in the workforce. However, if you are unable
to work, here's a website on How to Get Disability. Written by an attorney near
Lansing, Michigan, she says your best bet is to have your psychiatrist vouch for
you.
Click here on her excellent website.
Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania
(a merge of PA Protection & Advocacy and the Disabilities Law Project) in
Harrisburg hosts helpful info about disability.
Click here.
Patronize our talented people & family members:
For many people in Our Crowd, such as Nick Breslin, below, owning one's own
business is both pleasurable & profitable.
* Ron Abrams is an attorney whose concentration is on helping
people get back on their feet again after being injured in an accident. Feel
free to email him at RBAbrams427@msn.com or call him at 215-627-1012.
* David Bernstein, Reverse Mortgage Specialist: "Keep Our Older Adults in
Their Own Homes." Call David for info at 215-379-5001, ext. 103.
* Nick Breslin Builds a Better Deck
Breslin Decks & Awning
*
Stephen Views the News
His witty insightful political blog will inspire you to volunteer your services
to make this a better planet
* Our Robert B. Cuddy
ComforTan, Inc. of
Warrington, PA
*
Our Bob's Blog: Brilliance on the Rampage
- our first webmaster & the man who
told us, "Privacy no longer exists."
The Bendesky
Family Website
*
Sharon, a Family Member, from The State that is Home to Artichokes, Lemons, A
Great University System, & The Golden Gate Bridge.
Click on her
Wonderful Blog.
Great interview with the late writer William Styron (1925-2006)
who discusses his depression, as does his wife, Rose. Styron didn't suffer his
first depression until the age of 60, and his second episode 20 years later. His
best-selling memoir "Darkness Visible" chronicles his illness while describing
the importance of a loving family, particularly his wife Rose; fellowship with
others who understand the illness; and hospitalization as a safe haven.
Click here to read.
Reading material, courtesy of:
Families for Depression
Awareness: Click on their A+ Website, then read their list on:
General books on Mood Disorders
Books for Family Members
What's the Best Therapy? W-O-R-K !!!!! Read below.
Click here for
Jobs in Pennsylvania. Click here for
Jobs for People with
Disabilities. Also
Your Ticket to Work.
Housing problems? Contact
Fair Housing Rights in Jenkintown, PA.
N E W ! Mood
disorders are an illness of the Emotional Processing System of Our Brains. We
don't process emotions correctly. Medicine helps restore the chemical balance in
our brains, as does talk therapy. Q:
Angry? Worried? Fearful? Joyful? Need Reassurance?
A: Talk to someone about your f-e-e-l-i-n-g-s. Make
it a
Habit.
Denial of One's Illness is one thing, but
Anosognosia
is Another.
Click on Xavier Amador's
Informative Website
Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy: Read the story of how this once
Freudian-oriented psychiatrist
changed his tune.
AUDIO INFO: Excellent, didactic information by an expert. Concentrate & remember
the whole thing (it's not that difficult) & you can be the new leader of New
Directions.
Bipolar Updates
One of the Very First Info Sources on Manic Depression before the Internet was
in General Use -
University of Wisconsin at Madison
HealthLink of
Southampton, PA -
Free medical & limited dental care for the working uninsured of Bucks &
Montgomery County, PA. Call (215) 364-4247. Also a great place to
volunteer!
Nature: Our Greatest Teacher: Why Geese Flock Together - Turn up Your Speakers!
There is no mental illness in animals. Only in homo sapiens.
http://www.cuttyhunkroseinspirations.com/geese.html
Find comfort in the Lord: The 23rd Psalm by poet King David.
Click here.
20 percent of all Americans take
antidepressants, according to the June 25, 2006 Wall Street Journal.
Baby it's cold outside:
Tips on help paying your heating bills and also
winterizing your home.
NEW DIRECTIONS' MISSION STATEMENT:
New Directions is a support &
education group in the Greater Philadelphia area that helps individuals with
depression & bipolar disorder - and their families - better manage their illness
so they can participate in society to the fullest with good jobs, successful
relationships and a sense of belonging in the community.
We are also committed to educating the public about the treatability of
depression and bipolar disorder to help dispel prejudice, and let society know
that “for every terrible story about someone with a mood disorder, there are a
thousand success stories.”
TAKE ACTION NOW! Both houses of Congress will vote BY xx on xx To
help enact this legislation, click
this NAMI site. You can also call your Federal
legislators direct. Keep their phone numbers handy. Find them on
Congress.org, lower left.
Content © 2009 New Directions ¤ Web design by
Joey Moore
¤
