Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance - Orange County, CA Chapter
Welcome to the website for the Orange County, CA (DBSA-OC) chapter of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
About DBSA Orange County
The mission of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is to provide hope, help, and support to improve the lives of people living with depression and bipolar, schizoaffective disorders. DBSA pursues and accomplishes this mission through peer-based, recovery-oriented, empowering services and resources.
For more than 40 years, we have been helping those with mood disorders and their families navigate the ups and downs of life.
Announcements
Treatment Program Groups (as of May, 2026): Due to overwhelming attendance at our in-person meetings, we regret to ask that new groups please refrain from attending our in-person meetings at this time. Please check back here for updates on this policy. Thank you for your understanding.
2026-07-04: Information about DBSA-OC's upcoming educational meeting with Dr. Gus Alva on Thursday, July 30th, has been added below.
2026-06-01: Julie Patterson, Ph.D. and her research associates at the University of California, Irvine are recruiting participants for a research study that will investigate brain function, symptoms, thinking, and genetics in bipolar disorder and their associations with nicotine use. See the flyer for more information.
2026-04-25: The latest edition of DBSA-OC's Rollercoaster Times Newsletter is available at the bottom of this page.
Educational Meeting
DBSA-OC will be hosting an educational meeting on July 30, 2026, from 7 - 8:30pm in the Zoom room! Click the image, below, for a copy of the .pdf flier.
About Dr. Alva: Dr. Alva received his medical degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara (UAG) School of Medicine in Jalisco, Mexico. He completed his residency and chief residency in psychiatry and human behavior at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center and is Board Certified in Psychiatry, Neurology and Geriatrics, and is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. Alva is an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at the University of California, Riverside and a Professor at Chapman University's PA program. Dr Alva is also a volunteer faculty member at The University of California, Irvine Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior.
Currently, Dr. Alva is the medical director of both ATP Clinical Research in Orange, California, and the Senior Brain Health Program at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California.
Dr Alva’s primary research interests include genetics, neuroimaging, aspects of ethnicity and their correlation within clinical situations, and treatments for various psychiatric disorders and as principal investigator, has led pivotal work in Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety disorders and neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease as well as movement disorders and Insomnia.
Support Group Meetings
St. Joseph Hospital (Orange)
Please, no new treatment program groups at the St. Joseph meeting at this time.
Tuesdays, 7 - 9pm
Meets in the Sister Elizabeth Building, 1st floor.
The Sister Elizabeth building is located at 1300 W. Palmyra Ave in Orange.
For information about this meeting, contact Kevin.
Mariners Church (Irvine)
Please, no new treatment program groups at the Mariners Church (Irvine) meeting at this time.
Fridays, 7 - 9pm
2026-07-02: The Mariners Church meeting will not meet on Friday, July 3rd.
Meets in the Ministry Center, 2nd floor, Room 208.
Mariners Church (Irvine) is located at 5001 Newport Coast Dr.
* If you are travelling on the 73S and do not have an electronic toll device in your car, exit at MacArthur! *
For information about this meeting, contact Anya.
More information about Mariners Church (Irvine) can be found here.
Huntington Beach Hospital
Saturdays, 10am - 12pm
The hospital is located at 17772 Beach Blvd.
The meeting is held in the basement cafeteria.
St. Mary's Catholic Church (Fullerton)
Mondays, 6 - 7:30pm
Meets in Father Sera's Conference Room, 1st floor.
400 W. Commonwealth Ave.
For information about this meeting, contact Susan.
Wellness Centers
The Wellness Centers: Wellness Center Central, Wellness Center West and Wellness Center South hold DBSA meetings throughout the month.
Each Wellness Center maintains its own calendar of events - please see the website of each for information about meeting times and how to participate.
Wellness Center Central
Wellness Center West
Wellness Center South
Zoom Meetings
Zoom ID: 691 789 5225
| Day of Week | Meeting Times | Facilitators |
|---|---|---|
| Mondays | 7 - 9pm | No Meeting |
| Tuesdays | 7 - 9pm | Brian |
| Wednesdays | 7 - 9pm | Brian |
| Thursdays | 7 - 9pm | No Meeting |
| Fridays | Begins at 8pm | Lisa, Bill |
| Saturdays | Begins at 11am | Lisa |
Friends and Family (DBSA Orange County - Zoom)
1st and 3rd Saturdays, 1 - 3pm
Please contact Jennifer for information on how to connect with this group.
Friends and Family (DBSA National)
Thursdays, 6 - 8pm
Click here to join at the start time.
Links and Resources
Click here to visit the links and resources page.
Rollercoaster Times Newsletter
The latest edition of DBSA Orange County's Rollercoaster Times Newsletter is now available. Click the image below to download.
Resource Center
The Resource Center is located on the St. Joseph Hospital campus in Orange, CA.
Volunteers are in the office Wednesdays from 10:30am - 12:20pm and Thursdays from 10am - 2pm.
Phone: (949) 805-0528.
Please call and leave a message and a volunteer will return your call during those hours.
Information may also be obtained by emailing the Resource Center at the address below.
Note: For information about whether a particular meeting will meet on a specific date, contact the facilitator of the meeting via the links in the above meeting information entries.
Email: dbsaorangecounty@gmail.com
DBSA Orange County, CA - 2026