Self-help group

Stage Three Continuing Care. After the rehabilitation phase, the patient enters a period of continuing care. At this point, treatment often transitions to community resources such as self-help groups. In many cases, continuing care patients move beyond the need for intensive psychiatric treatment but continue to require the support of others as they move through the long-term recovery process. 

Disnlfiram is initiated at SOmg/day for the first week. It can be continued indefinitely at 25 mg/day thereafter. Patients mnst be cautioned of the need to wait at least 1-2 weeks after their last dose before drinking. Otherwise, they risk the unpleasant effects of a disnlfiram reaction. Disnlfiram nse should not be seen as a substitute for other ongoing therapies, but rather as an adjunct to outpatient follow-up and self-help groups. 

Some clients may have had help in the past, either from the agency or a self-help group, or other health professionals, and have reduced but not been able to come off their tranquillisers. The indications here are of limited success that perhaps several stages in the process have been achieved but that new goals can now be explored. 

A third project which the team helped start was FRODA (Friends and Relatives of Drug Abusers), a self-help group which meets on a regular basis to help its members to cope with their burden and occasionally generate action from statutory services. 

The establishment and encouragement of self-help groups for those involved in caring who are in similar circumstances and who share similar problems. 

Little has been written in the CAT literature about either the development of service infrastructure or the establishment of mutual self-help groups, although there is a wealth of literature which considers the role of Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon which is of relevance here.38 As with service co-ordination, however, service development is not a task which the community team can undertake in isolation. The support received from service managers and planners is crucial in determining the extent to which such a role can be operationalised. 

Alcoholics Anonymous, the great self-help group-therapy movement, is the only established treatment for alcoholics. Until much more is known about the personal (biochemical and psychological), familial, and social factors that contribute to alcoholism, so it will remain. Most new therapies are merely adjunctive to AA and will continue to be so until it is shown that they have therapeutic value when used alone. In my view, psychedelic therapy is best used as a preparation for AA. 

Consider joining a self-help group. Being around others in similar circumstances can provide support and motivation. 

Self-help group treatments (see Hammond, 1995 Lawless, 1995 Dougans, 1996 Hoffman, 1996 Thomas, 1997 Mitchell, 1997 Warner and Gunawant, 1997 MacDonald, 1998 Liechti, 1998 and General References)... 

The accessibility of self-help groups is one of their most attractive features. No dues or fees are required for AA and NA, so they re a good option for the uninsured and underinsured. Meetings are held in public places like local hospitals, healthcare centers, churches, and other community organizations, and frequent and regular attendance is encouraged. 

Drug addiction should be seen as a chronic condition, subject to relapses. If clients comply with the services offered to them by healthcare professionals, the prognosis may be favourable. However, it must be emphasised that clients will have to maintain a long-life condition of abstention from illicit drugs. Sometimes, this will require long-term attendance of self-help groups (e.g. Narcotics Anonymous). 

With the exponential growth of the Internet, there was a dramatic increase in the use of self-help groups. 

Also, many patients used multiple venues to treat their mental health problems—self-help groups, human services (school counselors and ministers), primary care, and specialty mental health services. 

The most effective treatment for schizophrenia incorporates a multidisciplinary approach in which antipsychotic medications are a necessary but insufficient component. Medication must be complemented by specific psychotherapy modalities, including family therapy, skills training, psychoeducation, supportive intervention, vocational training, and self-help groups. 

Questions don t have to be set by teachers or lecturers try writing some questions when you finish a section or unit. Put these to one side and refer back to them when revising the material. Share questions with friends doing the same course. This is like a self-help group. For example, write, say, 500 words or 2-3 pages (no more) on any of the following ... 

If you are working in a self-help group, then to mark other people s work you will have to know what you are looking for and how you are going to give the marks. A discussion afterwards of your work and that of others will be invaluable. Make sure the writer sticks to the question asked, NOT what they thought should have been asked, and watch out for deviations from the point of the question. 

---