A support group at the Recovery and Hope Network, at 1009 N.H., relaxes in the organization’s office on Jan. 30. The center is a place for activities for those recovering from mental illness and those dually diagnosed with a mental illness and substance-abuse issues.

Walk into the Recovery and Hope Network center on a Friday afternoon, and you’ll catch some of its members playing Bipolar Bingo.

Instead of B7 or N4, words of psychiatric medications and illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia are called out by the host.

For members of the consumer-run organization for people dealing with mental illness, this version of Bingo is just another way to break down the stigma of mental illness.

“Be light about it (mental illness); reduce the self-stigma,” said Kendall Simmons, program development coordinator for the organization that runs support groups and provides a socialization space for people recovering from mental illness.

The nonprofit organization, started in 2004, is run for and by mental health consumers. Executive Director Lesa Marbit said members support one another through community activities, education and a shared understanding.

Another family

Member Sarah Johnson, a local home health aide, first became involved in the organization a year ago after being diagnosed with major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Johnson said her family had difficulty understanding her mental illness, and she found the support from members of Recovery and Hope Network.

“(They’re) kind of like another family,” Johnson said. “It was hard to get an understanding of what was going on with me. … It’s nice to know someone who is or has been through it.”

Recovery and Hope Network has grown from 33 members in 2004 to nearly 200 currently. And it has increased the amount of space it rents at 1009 N.H. to accommodate the growth.

The network recently used a Compassion Kansas grant from Wichita State University’s Center for Community Support and Research to hire a professional fundraiser — not to raise funds, but to train members to raise funds themselves.

Johnson, who came up with the idea for Bipolar Bingo, said the group is working on slogans to place on bumper stickers and T-shirts that will be sold. She said that whatever the group decides, it will most likely include humor as a way to break down the stigma associated with mental illness.

Personal growth

For board member and Kansas University student Caitlin Hilton, the organization has allowed her to better advocate for herself when navigating the mental health system.

“I’ve really gotten my act together,” said Hilton, who was recently awarded a scholarship from KU’s School of Social Welfare, where she is working on her bachelor’s degree. Hilton said she plans to use her degree to help others work through recovery.

Sean Amon, who has been attending activities and events at the Recovery and Hope Network for two years, said he enjoys the travel and community service opportunities offered by the organization.

“We’re not labels,” said Amon of people suffering from mental illness. “Mental illness is something you have, not who you are.”

— Correspondent Shaun Hittle is a graduate student in journalism at Kansas University. He can be reached at hittle@ku.edu.