Bipolar Resources by State

Maine

CITY

GROUP NAME

ADDRESS

ZIP

CONTACT INFORMATION

Bangor

DBSA Bipolar SG/Bangor
Acadia Hospital

268 Stillwater Ave.

04401

Marjorie McLean, 207/973-6100
or 207/973-6057
Fax: 207/973-6107

Falmouth

DBSA Maine

19 Allen Ave. Extension

04105

Ken Hess, 207/878-8317 or
Bob Gaudreau, 207/772-6048
E-mail: khess1@maine.rr.com
Web site: www.home.maine.rr.com.mdmda

Lewiston
(Auburn)

DBSA Androscoggin Valley
c/o Richardson Hollow Assoc.

223 Main Street

04210

Linda Hertell, 207/783-2980
Fax: 207/786-6540
E-mail: richollow@aol.com

Saco

DBSA York County

2 Lyman Ave., #11

04072

Dr. Michael Arenstam, 207/283-9375
or John McGee, 207/282-2912
Fax: 207/282-8163

DBSA Chapters/Support Groups

Belfast
DBSA Mid-Coast
Contact 1: Kirk Rideout
Phone: (207) 342-2501
Contact 2: Thomas Allen
Additional Phone: (207) 354-7239
Email: mcdbsa@earthlink.net

Portland
DBSA MMC Portland
Contact 1: Denise Lancaster
Phone: (207) 657-5481
Contact 2: Jeff Irving
Additional Phone: (207) 650-3248
Email: dee6458@maine.rr.com

Saco
DBSA Aces
Contact 1: Michael Arenstam
Phone: (207) 283-9375

Thomaston
DBSA Mid-Coast
Contact 1: Lewis Bowden
Phone: (207) 832-6044
Contact 2: Thomas Allen
Additional Phone: (207) 354-7239
Fax: (775) 703-2969
Email: mcdbsa@earthlink.net

The Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF) has a website at: http://www.bpkids.org that provides information to support families with children with bipolar. Fact sheets, newsletters, chat rooms, physician locators, and a support group directory for each state are also provided on this site.

Meetup.com helps people find others who share their interest or cause (like bipolar disorder), get involved on-line and locally, and form lasting, influential, local community groups that regularly meet face-to-face. You may view a list of cities and states where meetings occur on their website (at http://www.meetup.com/locale).

If you have questions regarding bipolar disorder or are having trouble finding a support group in your area, you can contact the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for publications or other help at the NIMH Information Center at 1-866-615-6464 or at nimhinfo@nih.gov.

National Mental Health Association (NMHA) is the country's oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. NMHA has more than 340 affiliates nationwide. To find help and/or a support group in your community, contact NMHA by internet at: http://www.nmha.org/affiliates/ or by phone at: 1-800-969-NMHA (6642).

UNITED WAY (Information and Referral): Dial 211 for information about support groups and services in Maine.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a state organization in all 50 states as well as in Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. There are also more than 1,200 local affiliates spanning all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Your State NAMI
State: Maine
State Affiliate: NAMI Maine
Address: 1 Bangor St
Augusta, ME 04330-4701
Primary Phone: (207)622-5767
Alternate Phone: (800)464-5767
Fax: (207)621-8430
Email Address: namime@gwi.net
Website: namimaine.org
President: Julie O'Brien
Executive Director: Carol Carothers

IF YOU ARE IN A CRISIS, PLEASE CALL: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
Or: 1-800-273-TALK(1-800-273-8255)

This Week's Bipolar News

Credit Card Consolidation Speeds Freedom from Debt from Bipolar Disorder
by David Oliver
There's no question that many people dealing with bipolar disorder have unfortunately developed a tremendous amount of debt.

A patient's view of bipolar
Minnesota Public Radio
After being diagnosed with the most severe form of bipolar disorder, Marya Hornbacher chronicles her journey to accepting and managing her mental life.

Mother's mental illness diagnosed a decade ago
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Sherri Love has a history of mental illness dating back more than a decade. The 47-year-old, on trial in District Court on charges she fatally stabbed her 7-year-old daughter, tried to kill herself multiple times and was diagnosed as bipolar, authorities said.

Click here for all Bipolar News.

Don't be a Victim of Pharmacy Errors

CNN Medical News published a story about a woman who was pregnant and filled a prescription for prenatal vitamins at her local Walgreens in St. Louis, Missouri.

Unfortunately, this woman miscarried within a few weeks of taking the drug. Later, she learned that instead of being given a prescription for her prenatal vitamins (Materna), she had instead been given Matulane, which is a chemotherapy drug used to treat Hodgkin's disease, according to a lawsuit filed this month in federal court.

According to the lawsuit, the drug (Matulane) is intended to interfere with cell growth and DNA development.

According to the National Patient Safety Foundation, each year in the United States there are 30 million dispensing errors out of 3 billion prescriptions which occur at outpatient pharmacies. Some errors are minor, and some patients catch them easily; however, other errors can be serious.

Click here to read the entire article.

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Your One Stop Source For Information On Bipolar Disorder