What resources are available?
LA County Department of Mental Health
1-800-854-7771
www.dmh.co.la.ca.us
Alcohol and Drug Program of LA County
1 (626) 299-4571
www.lapublichealth.org/adpa
Alcoholics Anonymous
1-800-923-9722
www.lacoaa.org
Narcotics Anonymous
1 (818) 773-9999
www.na.org
Recovery Inc. (self-help program for mental health)
1 (312) 337-5661
www.recovery-inc.org
Project Return (wellness and support for people with mental illness)
1 (213) 250-1500 x10
www.prtns.org
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
Is there…
H O P E
when feeling down?
1-800-826-3632
www.dbsalliance.org
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
1-800-950-6264
www.nami.org
What can I do to…
C H A N G E
how I think, feel, and act?
Building Recovery by Improving Goals, Habits, and Thoughts
Project BRIGHT is a collaboration between the RAND Corporation and
Behavioral Health Services, and is funded by the National Institute on
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
If you have any questions about the project, please call
Dr. Kate Watkins at 1-800-447-2631, ext. 6509
or Belle Griffin, ext. 6891.
What steps can I take to get…
R E L I E F
from negative feelings?
What is depression?
Depression is a serious medical illness that negatively affects
how you feel, the way you think, how you act, and how you
relate with other people. Your depression is not your fault. It
is not a personal weakness, a personality flaw, or laziness.
Depression and substance abuse
Depression and the abuse of drugs or alcohol frequently
occur together. Depression can worsen substance abuse and
substance abuse can worsen depression – it can be a harmful
cycle.
depression
substance abuse
Getting treatment for depression may help you get and
stay sober and drug free.
sadnes
fear
s
indecision
Feeling down DESPAIR
loneline
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities that you
normally enjoy ss
exhaustion GUILT
What are the symptoms of depression?
Significant increase or decrease in your weight or
appetite
Sleeping too much or too little
Change in the way you move (moving restlessly or
slowed down)
Feeling really tired or exhausted
Feeling worthless or having terrible guilt
Trouble concentrating or making decisions
Repeated thoughts of death or suicide
stress
isolatio
n
Is there…
H O P E?
Yes! Remember that you can get help for your depression.
With help, the majority of people with depression will get
better.
Can I…
CHANGE?
Yes! CBT will be most helpful to you if at the end of the
treatment you have learned many skills for controlling your
mood, and you feel confident using them in your daily life.
The skills take practice.
How can I get…
R E L I E F?
The goal of CBT is not to get rid of all feelings of sadness in
your life. That would be unrealistic. The goal is to give you
tools to reduce:
How often you feel sad,
How intense or painful the feelings get, and
How long the feelings last.
What are the possible causes of
depression?
A hopeful future!
You can’t control whether you become depressed, but you can
get help for it. Even people who are struggling with recovery
from alcohol and drug abuse can learn how to find things to
enjoy and to be hopeful about. And even people who have a
family history of depression can learn different ways of thinking
and behaving that can help them fight depression in their own
lives.
Recovery and
feeling good!
Pleasant
activities
Biology. When people are stressed, their brain
chemistry changes, causing both physical and
emotional changes.
Family history. Depression can run in
families.
Medical illnesses or conditions. Certain
illnesses such as thyroid problems and some
cancers can cause depression.
Stress. Many cases of depression begin after
a person experiences a stressful life event—
like losing someone you love or having money problems.
A person who has been abused verbally, physically, or
sexually may be more likely to become depressed.
Use of drugs or alcohol.
Time with
friends
What can you do?
Get help and support from family members, friends,
and others.
Hopeful
thoughts
Discuss how you feel with your counselor, therapist,
or doctor, and ask about
possible treatment.
Consider participating in Project
Staying sober
and drug free
.
Remember - if a person who has depression gets
treatment for it, that person is more likely to get and
stay sober or drug free.
What is Project
?
Project BRIGHT is short for Broadening Recovery by
Improving Goals, Habits, and Thoughts. It is a research
project designed to understand how well a particular treatment
for depression—group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
(CBT)—works to improve depression in people with substance
abuse problems. CBT for depression is a proven treatment for
many different groups of people but it is not known how well
it works for people in recovery.
If you decide to participate in Project BRIGHT, you may be
eligible to receive CBT for depression. Even if you don’t receive
CBT, by participating you will help us learn more about recovery
from depression and substance abuse.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
COGNITIVE refers to THOUGHTS.
BEHAVIORAL refers to ACTIONS.
CBT teaches skills and strategies to help you:
Make the feelings of depression less intense.
Shorten the time that you are depressed.
Prevent more periods of depression.
Better manage your life, despite real
difficulties and problems.
How does CBT treat depression?
Depression is sometimes
looked at as a downward
spiral. Usually people
enter the spiral because
something upsetting has
happened to them. The
upsetting events are real
and almost anyone would
feel a certain amount of
sadness, anger, or
frustration because of
them.
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CBT treats depression by
helping you stop the
downward spiral. By teaching
you skills to change your:
Thoughts
Actions
- activities
- contacts with other people
…you can improve the way
you feel.
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