Despite the increasing number of reports that underscores how widespread mood disorders are throughout the LGBT community ( and how much higher suicide rates are within the gay demographic ) , there is a dearth of reputable support groups for sexual minorities. To that end, Bill Siwicki—in collaboration with Howard Brown Health Center—has started a Chicago LGBT chapter of the National Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance ( DBSA ) .
The meetings started the first Saturday in October; about 12-14 people have attended each forum so far.
Siwicki talked recently with Windy City Times about the chapter, including its formation and the topics that attendees discuss.
Windy City Times: How did Howard Brown become involved in the formation of this chapter?
Bill Siwicki: I was going to a DBSA chapter at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and I noticed that there were gay people there—and they never said a word. It was a group of about 20 and it was designed for everyone, but I wondered if some people were hesitant to talk because they were gay.
When I decided to start an LGBT chapter, I was talking with my psychiatrist and Howard Brown was the first [ place ] to come to mind. It's such a prominent place in our community and [ the facility ] provides great psychosocial services. So I contacted them and got a space.
WCT: If I may ask, what do you suffer from?
BS: I suffer from bipolar disorder and I was diagnosed about 10 years ago. It's something that affects every day of your life. This year has been pretty bad in particular. I had a stroke that was related to stress, so that wasn't related to [ the disorder ] —but that same stress hit me in May and I was on short-term disability for nine weeks. I'm still dealing a bit from the breakdown I went through.
One thing I've noticed is that some of the people in the group are either unemployed or on disability—and that's a severe thing. It's just mind-boggling how many people are out of work because of their bipolar disorder or depression.
There are so many symptoms of depression. People may suffer from lack of motivation, tremendous fatigue or irritability. People think of depression as 'Oh, boo hoo, I'm sad'—but that's just part of it. With bipolar disorder—which was called manic-depressive illness—you can have a lot of the same symptoms, but then you have the manic side. One of the reasons I had to go on short-term disability this summer was because I had a manic episode in addition to the stress. I'd sleep for days because I'd been up [ beforehand ] ; I'd rearrange my vanity at three in the morning. Mania is a really hard thing to control.
WCT: Are you on medication now?
BS: Oh yes. Some forms of clinical depression can be treated with sheer psychotherapy. Bipolar disorder is a chronic illness and, so, you have to take medication for the rest of your life. There's a chemical imbalance in the brain.
With a lot of people, there's such a stigma with coming out with a mental illness—but it's no different than a diabetic. There's something physiologically wrong with the body or brain, and that requires medication. So I take medication to keep me in between the two poles.
WCT: What types of topics has the group discussed?
BS: It's a free-wheeling discussion so we deal with a lot of things. We've talked about coping mechanisms [ as well as ] revealing the illness to family and friends—although what's interesting is that a lot of people have found it easier to come out as gay than to come out with a mental illness. We've also talked about dealing with manic episodes; the majority of the group seems to suffer from bipolar disorder.
The forum is designed for people to ask questions about issues, to share strategies for dealing with mental illness, and just to be among people who are dealing with the same exact things ( related to illness and sexual orientation ) that you are. We're here to provide a comfortable environment.
WCT: What have you learned about yourself since this forum began?
BS: I've learned that my situation is nowhere as bad as it could be. There are many people who've been out of work for years because of their illnesses. I've also learned some good coping mechanisms. I even discovered that I should be taking one of my medications with food; even though it says on the damn bottle that I should do that, for some reason I never noticed it. [ Laughs. ]
I should mention that we have several people in the group who are HIV-positive—and being positive can make it really difficult to cope with manic or depressive feelings.
It's definitely a mixed bag, but so far everyone's been really positive about the group. We're only in the formative stages, so we hope to get more people to come so their lives can be improved.
The Chicago LGBT chapter of the National Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance convenes every Saturday from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Howard Brown Health Center, 4025 N. Sheridan. For more information, contact Bill Siwicki at ( 773 ) 755-1646.
