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Welcome to DBSA Essex County

YOU ARE NOT ALONE! We’ve been there, we can help! Talking with others who have had similar experiences can be a big help and an important adjunct to medication and/or other treatment.

Depression and bipolar disorder are highly treatable mental illnesses. The American Psychiatric Assn. reports treatment success more than 80% of the time for both of these mood disorders. We are an adult self-help support group for those who have been diagnosed with a mood disorder. We also welcome the significant people in their lives who are impacted by these illnesses. We are an independent affiliate chapter of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, which is headquartered in Chicago. We provide support group meetings and free literature. We are a resource for putting you in touch with other kinds of assistance.

The purpose of this web site is to reach out to those who would like to know more about managing depression and bipolar disorder in their lives and in their families. For advice about specific treatment or medication, contact your physician, psychiatrist and/or mental health professional.

This is a volunteer site provided by non-professionals. While every effort is made to be accurate, we cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, use or misuse of the information provided. We have included links to other sites that we believe may be informative and useful. However, we cannot be responsible for their contents.

Essex County Meetings

When: Mondays, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM, at Saint James Church in Upper Montclair AND Online via the Zoom platform. Your choice of in-person or online from home.

Where: Saint James Episcopal Church, 581 Valley Rd, Montclair, NJ 07043 AND Online via Zoom

Helpful Information: Please call us at the number above or email us using the form to the right for more information and to sign up for our meeting. We will provide more information regarding the in-person meeting and if you are not familiar with Zoom, we can help with some technical support; just let us know.

Please contact us with any questions. Newcomers are welcome to start anytime.

Please contact us with any questions. Newcomers are welcome to start anytime.

Our groups and meetings are:

  • led by trained facilitators who are peers, that is, individuals with a mood disorder.
  • open to family and friends with or without the person living with a disorder.
  • an empowering experience that is free of charge with no pre-registration required.
  • NOT a therapy group ; we do NOT give professional advice, but we DO share mutual experiences to educate and support each other.

There is hope. People living with a mood disorder can be helped by medication and/or therapy. Many people so affected lead normal lives, and participate in our support group to help others. Support groups help during recovery. “You are not alone, we can help”.

About Depression & Mania

Common possible symptoms of depression include:

  • Decreased or increased sleeping
  • Loss of energy and motivation
  • Exaggerated feelings of guilt
  • Unexplained aches and pains or ailments
  • Inappropriate or exaggerated feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, impending disaster or doom

Common possible symptoms of mania include:

  • Impaired judgment
  • High energy level and increased activity/talking
  • Significant decrease in sleeping
  • Inflated self esteem (grandiosity)
  • Extreme irritability and/or restlessness

Other symptoms are possible. No one symptom determines the disorder. A psychiatrist or psycho pharmacologist should be consulted for an evaluation.