The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) Greater Houston is a 501(c)(3)

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

located in Houston, Texas. DBSA provides free and confidential

support group In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping str ...

s for individuals living with, or family and friends affected by, depression or

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

. Each support group is led by a

facilitator A facilitator is a person who helps a group of people to work together better, understand their common objectives, and plan how to achieve these objectives, during meetings or discussions. In doing so, the facilitator remains "neutral", meaning ...

trained by the organization. Select groups target specific populations including veterans, adolescents, and parents of adolescents, young adults,

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usag ...

s, LGBT Community, homeless individuals and Spanish-speaking individuals.

History

Established in 1979, the Depressive and Manic Disorder Association (DMDA) of Greater Houston sponsored up to five weekly support groups for those with depressive or

manic depressive disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated wit ...

s. In 2003, DMDA Greater Houston changed its name to DBSA Greater Houston and formed its own 501(c) (3) corporation. Currently, DBSA Greater Houston sponsors nearly 70 weekly support groups at 50 different locations throughout the Houston metropolitan area. The Houston organization is the largest of the nation’s DBSA chapters, serving over 1,000 support group participants annually.

Affiliation

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Greater Houston is a chapter member of the National

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), formerly the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association (NDMDA), is a nonprofit organization providing support groups for people who live with depression or bipolar disorder as well as t ...

organization based in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. Additionally, the organization has developed collaborations with a number of Houston area

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

and

social service Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administ ...

providers including the

Texas Department of Corrections The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jai ...

, the Harris County judicial system, the Michael DeBakey VA Hospital, Mental Health of America,

National Alliance on Mental Illness The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a United States-based nonprofit organization originally founded as a grassroots group by family members of people diagnosed with mental illness. NAMI identifies its mission as "providing advocac ...

and the AIDS Foundation of Houston. Every group provided by DBSA Greater Houston is a collaboration with another organization in the community. For a list o
collaborations
visit the organizations website.

Statistics

DBSA Greater Houston utilizes 75 trained volunteer and professional facilitators to provide nearly 70 weekly support groups. According to an independently conducted

demographics Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

study in 2008, 64% of DBSA Greater Houston participants were female, 36% were male; 77% were diagnosed individuals while 23% were family members; 66% reported a diagnosis and/or symptoms of depression, 69% were diagnosed with bipolar disorder; 88% were prescribed

psychotropic medication A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, psychoactive agent or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance, that changes functions of the nervous system, and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior. Th ...

s and 65% were in professional therapy. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Greater Houston conducts an annual satisfaction survey for participants. I
2013
the results continued to show a high rating of satisfaction with a score of 4.28 out of a possible 5, which represents excellence. Also, it was found that the longer a person attends group, the more satisfied they are with the experience and the more skills they learn to manage their disorder. In 2006 DBSA Greater received the Chapter of the Year award from the national

Recent developments

On September 24, 2013, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Greater Houston hosted it
second annual Help, Hope, and Healing Luncheon
with speakers Jessie Close and actress, Glenn Close. Jessie lives with Bipolar Disorder and Glenn talked about the perspective of the family and gave 2 monologues. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Greater Houston hosted its first annua
Help, Hope, and Healing luncheon
at the River Oaks Country Club on September 24, 2012 featuring Jane Pauley as the speaker. Jane Pauley is known for her work on Dateline NBC and the Today Show. Ms. Pauley lives with Bipolar Disorder. In the fall of 2008, DBSA Greater Houston published an outcome study independently conducted by Dr. Ralph Culler, former

Associate Dean Dean is a title employed in academic administrations such as colleges or universities for a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, over a specific area of concern, or both. In the United States and Canada, deans are usua ...

of Research at the

Hogg Foundation for Mental Health The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health is a grantmaking organization with the mission to improve the mental health of Texans. As a unit of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin, the Foundation seeks ...

. The outcome study was designed to analyze the effectiveness of the DBSA Greater Houston support group model. The study provided tools for DBSA Greater Houston to (1) provide quantitative and qualitative evidence that its support group model is effective (2) prove DBSA Greater Houston’s accountability to individuals utilizing its services and; (3) learn how the benefits of DBSA occur. This study provided evidenced-based results that the DBSA Greater Houston support group model was effective in a number of areas. The study used an outcome

questionnaire A questionnaire is a research instrument that consists of a set of questions (or other types of prompts) for the purpose of gathering information from respondents through survey or statistical study. A research questionnaire is typically a mix of ...

which asked a broad range of questions regarding demographics, medical data, outcome assessments and satisfaction with the support group experience. On average 89% of group participants experienced an improvement in their quality of life as a direct benefit of their participation in the DBSA groups. 93% of participants reported high or very high satisfaction with their DBSA support group experience.

References

External links

DBSA-Houston WebsiteNational Organization Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Depression And Bipolar Support Alliance (Greater Houston) Mental health organizations in Texas Bipolar disorder