Manic Depression Fellowship – MDF Bipolar Organisation
MDF Bipolar Organisation is a user-led charity working to enable people affected by manic depression to take control of their lives.
MDF Bipolar Organisation Charity
Contact Details
MDF Bipolar Organisation, Castle Works, 21 St. George’s Road, London, SE1 6ES08456 340 540 (UK Only)
0044 207 793 2600 (Rest of world)
Email: mdf@mdf.org.uk
Websites
- www.mdf.org.uk
- www.mdfwales.org.uk (Wales site)
- www.pendulum.org.uk (Pendulum journal site)
- www.steady.org.uk (STEADY self-management course site)
Membership
You can become a member of MDF through the website. As a member you will receive the following benefits:
- The organization’s quarterly journal, Pendulum. This is full of current debate about manic depression, overseas news, forthcoming events, etc.
- Advice. A twenty-four hour line providing legal advice, employment advice and advice about benefits and debt. Your questions will be answered by qualified solicitors.
- Travel insurance and life assurance schemes. MDF offers travel insurance to its members which covers manic depression as a pre-existing condition, something most insurers will not cover. For further details, contact MDF on 08456 340540. Members can contact MDF and get practical advice on applying for life assurance and avoiding common pitfalls.
- Self-management training. SMT (self-management training programme for adults) or STEADY (self-management for young people aged between eighteen and twenty-five). These courses are delivered either as a face-to-face residential course or as an online course. Training is designed to give you a thorough understanding of the concepts, tools and techniques involved in learning to self-manage extreme mood swings. It is based on a six-module course with two facilitators. The course includes identifying triggers and warning signs, strategies for coping and complementary therapies. There is a small administration charge for participating. As this is an independent organization there is no link between the project and psychiatric services. Remember, this course is run by a user-led, independent organization.
- Self-help groups. You can find your closest self-help group through the website. MDF describes those groups as a safe space for mutual support with people in similar situations to your own.
- Information. Comprehensive website content and all information and publications provided by the organization. You will also gain access to a number of fact sheets which cover information on diagnosis, medication and information for families.
Membership costs vary. You can become a member online or by telephoning 08456 340 540.
Without membership, the website offers brief information on diagnosis, including medical criteria (DSM IV & ICD 10), NHS services, information about day-to-day issues such as driving, finances, benefits and nutrition, and advice for friends and family.
