SUPPORT GROUP WILL CELEBRATE ITS ANNIVERSARY

The Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association of Southeast Missouri will celebrate its fifth anniversary at its annual meeting Monday.

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Conference Rooms A and B of the education department at St. Francis Medical Center.

Dr. Ashok Mallya, deputy director of the comprehensive services division of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, will be the featured speaker.

Meritorious Service awards will be presented to Roger Henry, executive director of the Community Counseling Center; Barbara Stribling, consultant with the Regional Advisory Council of the Mental Health Department; and volunteers Nancy Renfrow and Paula Hoffman of the Community Counseling Center, and Patsy Whittenburg of Advance and Sharon Hoeller of Cape Girardeau.

Depression and manic depression are the "common cold" of major psychiatric illnesses, officials of the Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association say.

One in five families will experience the impact of these mood disorders, they say. It's estimated that about 23,000 people in 31 counties of Southeast Missouri suffer from depression.

The association was organized in 1986 and provides a number of free services to clients, families and support personnel.