I’ve worked with the following organizations and/or am a member of the organization, and they are all great. I encourage you to visit their websites and check each of them out.
1) International Bipolar Foundation
2) Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
3) National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
4) Postpartum Support International
5) Postpartum Progress
http://www.postpartumprogress.com
6) The International Marce Society for Perinatal Mental Health
7) National Suicide Hotline (you can call them 24 hours/day or even do live chat)
1 (800) 273-8255
Live Chat:
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/gethelp/lifelinechat.aspx
9) 7 Cups of Tea – free, anonymous, confidential online text chat with trained listeners, online therapists and counselors! There’s a bipolar category and a perinatal mood disorder category among many potherbs..
10) How to Get Therapy for Less article – some cool ideas!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-smith-2/how-to-get-therapy-for-less-than-10_b_9157656.html
Dyane Harwood 
Hiya Dyane! I know you’re gonna be away from the computer for a week or so, but I do have something to ask you about:
Vanessa is looking for a way to find friendship with someone else who experiences rapid-cycling bipolar, PTSD, agoraphobia, and social-phobia.
She’s not on Facebook or other social-media (barring Pinterest) as many of those services are pretty over stimulating to the point that they make her a nervous wreck, and cycle even faster.
I say friendship, because she’s already well over the “Hey, I’m bipolar” stage, and really doesn’t want to obsess over it. Support groups have that element in-built, but socializing with others who know what it’s like to be bipolar etc, but also don’t want to obsess about it.
Vanessa last friendship ended about 8 years ago, and it’s a key part of her life that’s been missing since. One attempt led to someone leaning on her for free counseling to the point they made her sick. (And then still kept on leaning even when Vanessa said she’d had enough).
Someone, who’d take things slowly and be easy going (no charity friends either!)
So… are there places online where Vanessa could go? Google has had a crap-load of support group sites. Here in NZ, it’s support groups online, and no real social interaction. Even the online forums she’s found – it’s mostly people obsessing exclusively about mental health issues.
If Vanessa goes to sites about the stuff she’s interested in, she feels like she has to fake “normal” to fit in. We all know how hard and stressful that is!
Any ideas, do you think?
Sorry about the wall of text, but well, you know. :o)
Dear James, I write this with frozen fingers in a parking lot- we are here for another week without internet at the cabin, but I will definitely try to think of something that could help Vanessa out and will let you know as soon as I can…in the meantime, sending you both big hugs and no worries about walls of text ever!!!! hugs, Dy
many thanks Dy!
Vanessa waned to let you know how much it means to her 🙂
Social isolation has definately become more than she can reasonably bear.
Thanks again!