Self-help groups Health Article

Conclusion

Worldwide, self-help groups are becoming increasingly popular. They are effective in providing mutual support and are good resources for finding needed information. However, when searching for an appropriate group, prospective members should ask their friends, physicians, and counselors for references, and then visit a few groups before deciding on which one to attend. Also, information clearinghouses on the Internet are a good first step.

See also Depression and depressive disorders; Disease concept of chemical dependency; Dual diagnosis; Group therapy; Pathological gambling; Poly-substance abuse; Sedatives and related disorders; Support groups

BOOKS

American Self-Help Clearinghouse. Self-Help Sourcebook Online. Mental Help Net, 1993–2002.

Borkman, Thomasina Jo. Understanding Self-Help/Mutual Aid: Experiential Learning in the Commons. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1999.

DuPont, Robert L. The Selfish Brain: Learning from Addiction. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, Inc., 1997.

Galanter, Marc, Ricardo Castañeda, and Hugo Franco. "Group Therapy, Self-Help Groups, and Network Therapy." In Clinical Textbook of Addictive Disorders,, edited by Richard J. Frances and Sheldon I. Miller. 2nd ed. New York: Guilford Press, 1998.

Hyndman, Brian. Does Self-Help Help? A Review of the Literature on the Effectiveness of Self-Help Programs. Evaluation in Health Promotion Series: Canadian and International Perspectives, no. 7. Toronto: Center for Health Promotion, University of Toronto, 1997.

Lefley, Harriet P. "Advocacy, Self-help, and Consumer-Operated Services." In Psychiatry, edited by Allan Tasman, Jerald Kay, and Jeffrey A. Lieberman. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company, 1997.

Miller, Norman S., ed. The Principles and Practice of Addictions in Psychiatry. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company, 1997.

ORGANIZATIONS

Aloholics Anonymous. Grand Central Station, PO Box 459, New York, NY 10163. <www.alcoholicsanonymous.org>.

Gilda's Club Worldwide. 322 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1402, New York, NY 10001. (888) GILDA-4-U. <http://www.gildasclub.org/>.

Narcotics Anonyomous World Service Office. PO Box 9999, Van Nuys, California 91409. Telephone: (818) 773-9999. Fax (818) 700-0700. <http://www.na.org/>.

National Self-Help Clearinghouse. Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York, 365 5th Avenue, Suite 3300, New York, NY 10016. (212) 817-1822. <http://www.selfhelpweb.org>.

Tanja Bekhuis, Ph.D. Paula Ford-Martin, M.A.