"It is in the women's GAM group where I have felt the greatest complicity and solidarity."
Over the years I have participated in various Mutual Support Groups (MSGs) . When I arrived at ActivaMent Catalunya Associació I came with many insecurities, with a great need to listen and be heard, to express myself freely without being judged… and I didn't even know it myself because I didn't know the MPGs existed.
GAMs are made up of people who share the same or similar experiences. In our GAMs, we share the experience of having mental health problems, of being survivors of psychiatric treatment, of experiencing mental illness or psychological suffering, and of being psychiatrically treated (each person defines themselves in the way that feels most comfortable according to their life story).
Mutual support groups in the field of mental health
I have participated in mixed and single-gender mutual support groups. In all cases, they have always been first-person mutual support groups (i.e., there were no family members or professionals present), functioning horizontally, without hierarchies, with self-management of the moderation and the group itself, and with a commitment to confidentiality and support.
For me, a GAM is a safe space, where confidentiality is very important, and in fact it is a rule, so that you can express yourself freely and without fear of being judged.
For much of my life, I've felt like an oddball, and meeting people who had gone through similar experiences made me feel heard and understood. Because of the same confidentiality that protects all participants and ensures the smooth operation of the GAM (Group for Mutual Support), I can't discuss the topics covered. However, I can say that spaces of connection are created, a place to share concerns, to explain our own experiences because we need to talk about them or because we can help others going through similar situations. And because you realize that what you were told about your problem, that it was individual, turns out to be a collective problem with social causes.
At GAM, I seriously questioned all the self-stigma I'd carried for years. I had internalized and made my own the discourse of social stigma (for example, that people who are psychiatrically treated are childish, that we're incapable of doing the same things as other people who aren't, like studying or working, that we're overly sensitive, weak… and even that we're dangerous or violent). But thanks to GAM, I was able to truly develop my life story beyond what I'd always been told (that my problems had a biological and hereditary origin and that the only treatment was medication). I was able to understand why I had a major depression at thirteen, what kind of violence I experienced that led me to that point. And how the violent treatment I received, beyond the medication, at that delicate time, trapped me in the cycle of psychiatric treatment and all that it entails (fewer opportunities, self-sacrifice due to the social stigma, etc.).
Mutual support groups
I also know people close to me who have managed to find a positive meaning in what happened to them, as everything they've experienced has given them a wealth of knowledge that can benefit them and others. Honestly, I find it very difficult to find a positive meaning in it. I feel like part of my childhood and adolescence was stolen from me, a very delicate time for most people. And I'll never know what I would have been like without this painful experience that lasted so many years and that, to this day, I haven't overcome. This makes me very angry, a factor that pushes me to keep fighting, but on the other hand, I don't think it's good to live with anger. At some point, I'll have to face it, forgive, and forgive myself.
In the GAM (Group for the Elderly), the mirror effect often occurs. That is, you see yourself reflected in someone who has gone through similar situations or experiences and overcome them. And this gives you a lot of hope for your own recovery—a hope that, generally, no one had given you before.
Of the support groups I've participated in, belonging to a women's group has been particularly impactful and positive. In women-only groups with a gender perspective, I've been able to reflect on the place of women with psychiatric conditions in a heteropatriarchal society where, from a young age, we are raised on gender roles and how this affects our emotional health. The stereotypes associated with being a woman include weakness, submissiveness, helplessness, concern for others, dependency, heightened emotionality, insecurity, and the role of caregiver. It's no surprise that these stereotypes, which are resistant to change, lead to sexist bias among some mental health professionals, who diagnose women primarily with depression and anxiety. Often, women experience overprotective, paternalistic, or pessimistic attitudes regarding their recovery from professionals due to the double stigma (being a woman and having a mental health diagnosis), and we could add others (having a non-heteronormative sexual orientation, being a migrant, etc.).
Mutual support group for daughters of parents with mental health problems
It also happens that women are overmedicated more due to this sexist bias, since some mental health professionals interpret that women are more fragile and prone to illness.
Finally, I'd like to emphasize that it was in the Women's Support Group (GAM) where I felt the greatest camaraderie and solidarity (sisterhood) among peers. It was there that I expressed concerns I hadn't dared to voice in mixed-gender groups. In my case (I can't speak about my fellow members due to confidentiality, but I can speak about myself), it allowed me to discuss topics often overlooked by the society we live in, where issues affecting women seem to be considered less important. These ranged from premenstrual syndrome and questioning gender stereotypes (such as motherhood), to beauty standards that may have led me to develop an eating disorder, the devaluation of women's identity and invisibility, especially when you're a woman with a history of psychiatric treatment. I've learned so much from my fellow GAM members and feel strengthened by this experience, both collectively and personally. I have very fond memories of my colleagues, of funny situations, of celebrating the progress of a colleague who was going through a difficult time and feeling like you're doing your bit by helping her through your experience, and of the many times I felt supported and felt those hugs in the form of words through the screen, during times of pandemic.
This testimonial is made possible thanks to ActivaMent .
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