San Diego Social Group: Impact Young Adults

A Group for Young Adults with Mental Illness

Community is an important aspect of culture. While so many social groups are appearing online, Ellen Frudakis and Johanna Baker of San Diego have created a safe environment for young adults with mental illness to gather and find support. The group is called Impact Young Adults and rather than being another support group, instead the members get together for socializing and San Diego excursions.

Young adults with mental illness are everywhere - scattered throughout every city and state. Many of those individuals are feeling alone, possibly having lost friendships through the worst of the mental illness symptoms, and wanting to connect to people again - reistablish friendships. What if you had available to you a circle of friends who understands the medication changes and challenges, can relate to the struggles of reistablishing yourself in the real world as a person with a mental illness? Was this possible? This was the basis for the group which Baker and Frudakis jump started. Frudakis highlights their intentions - to have fun and build friendships. San Diego is lucky to have such a mental health resource in the community...it truelly is good for your health.

For young adults with mental illness it can be very difficult to maintain connections with friends who may not understand the affects of their illness. Perhaps an individual has lost friends during their worst symptoms because their friends didn't understand what was happening. Many times an individual is not diagnosed until their 20's. For several adults they are in college. When others learn of an individiduals diagnosis stigma can be (but is not always) a huge battle - by professors and classmates. Transitioning from treatment back into general society for any mental illness or addiction recovery is a challenge. But when the age in which you are doing so is an age of transition anyway - from being a teen to an adult with adult responsibilities - it's tough! At this age young adults are looking for work and this too is affected by the onset of mental illness. *Note: This isn't just a group for those newly diagnosed. I say many are diagnosed in their 20's but mental illness is not age-specific.

Support Groups vs. Activity Group

Between NAMI and DBSA there are many support groups in San Diego. But support groups are not geared towards relationship building activities. They rather discourage this. Members may form friendships or even relationships and then the dynamic of the entire support meetings change as issues with the relationship spill into it. I have witnessed this happen on mutliple occations where eventually both individuals stop coming to the group - contaminating a resource.

This is why Baker & Frudakis's idea to create an activity group geared just for young adults (ages 18-35) with mental illness. works so well. It only makes sense that those who are looking more for social interaction and friendship building have a place to go. The group has gained non-profit status this year and in addition they received a grant which they use to get their name out and reach as many young people as they can, and has been monumental in making more activities possible.

On November 7th NAMI (National Alliance of the Mentally Ill) San Diego awarded Frudakis and five others with an Inspiration Award for not only her work with Impact but also with FEMA and other leadership postions. Together Johanna Baker and Ellen Frudakis lead a wonderful active group. For those who do enjoy more of an online community they monitor a Yahoo Group as well: Impact Young Adults Yahoo Group.