Team You, a term coined by advice writer Captain Awkward, is a group of people who support you in times of emergency. If you are fighting the grips of mania or coping with isolating depression, these allies are invaluable.
This is part one of a five-part series.
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V
How to Find Team You
Unfortunately, collecting a solid Team You takes time. If you’re a parent, then hopefully you have parent friends—ideally ones who you are comfortable explaining your struggle to. If you suffered from severe post-partum depression like I did, then that may not be the case.
One channel to find parent friends is story times at libraries, or, if you’re bold, a public park. If you can afford it, take a parenting class and take notes on both the subject and your classmates. Toddler groups are excellent places to search for potential allies, too.
Outside of the parent friend channels, MeetUp.com is an amazing resource to find like-minded people, provided you have steady access to a computer. You can attend parent groups, cooking groups, maybe even underwater basket weaving groups! Bipolar support groups can also be found at local libraries.
It also goes without saying that a quality therapist and psychiatrist treatment team is priceless—if you can afford them. There are sliding-scale counselors available. The Mental Health Mountie has compiled an incredible list at Captain Awkward of such providers in America and Canada.
Soon, if you’re lucky, you may run into a different problem: having too many friends.
The Bipolar Parent 
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