Lawton Public Library hosts mental health support groups

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance is holding mental health support groups at 6:30 p.m Mondays at the Lawton Public Library in person and through Zoom.

Anyone with behavioral health and substance abuse issues can participate in the groups, Jeff Dismukes, executive director of DBSA said.

“It’s really a chance to talk to people about wellness, understanding that these diseases of the brain are treatable and that we have services that you can access to find wellness and live your life the way you want,” Dismukes said. “It’s a great opportunity to find an understanding community and to engage and talk freely so we can navigate what’s out there.”

There’s more to mental health than others think.

“In many cases, public perception and individuals feel that these diagnoses are something that are completely disabling,” Dismukes said. “They can be. For some people, it’s about engaging in services as soon as possible and trying to get ahead of the disease. But it’s also about being able to get around people who have had shared experiences, navigating these difficulties, being well and using their experiences to help people to find that wellness.”

Having mental health or substance abuse issues shouldn’t be viewed just one way.

“What we don’t talk about are the people who are doing well, which is the vast majority of people in Oklahoma,” Dismukes said. “There’s somewhere between 600,000 and a million Oklahomans who experience a behavioral health disorder in any given year. The vast majority of these people, you don’t see them in the community because they’re your friends, your neighbors. They’re people who are your work colleagues. There’s such a misunderstanding about what these diseases are, in fact, the reality is that these are just diseases. These are diagnosable, treatable diseases. When we get people the right services at the right time, they absolutely can be well.”

There’s a structure to the meetings.

“All of our meetings are led by trained peers with lived experiences and who’ve been trained to conduct these meetings,” Dismukes said. “We sometimes discuss things that are happening in headlines, how people are being impacted, what resources are out there, how to navigate those resources. We usually don’t tell people how to do things, but we talk about our experiences and what might have worked for us.”

But they are successful.

“What we see for people who participate in these groups, we see reduced hospitalization, people going back to work, people repairing family fractures, increased productivity and daily lives,” Dismukes said. “These are extremely successful opportunities to engage outside the treatment system. I should say, we work closely with treatment providers across the state and we’re able to assist with helping people find the right sources and know how to advocate so we can ensure the services they need are available.”

DBSA of Oklahoma started in the 1970s in a living room with a psychiatrist, Dismukes said. Clients would come together with a sense of community. Since then, they’ve expanded the model, offering services in multiple communities. They’re even talking about expanding into other communities in Southwest Oklahoma.