What Are Self-help Groups? Are They Really Beneficial?

Self-help groups are characterized by group of persons who are experiencing the same kinds of problems, who meet regularly without any kind of professional interventions, to help one another in their efforts to cope with these difficulties. Examples of such groups include Family Anonymous, Narcotic Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Food-Addict Anonymous, etc. Moreover, considering the tragic scenario AIDS, both the victim and family members, a growing number of self-help groups now focus on assisting persons who have been diagnosed with this illness as well as their friends, relatives and significant others as well as spreading the message to build the awareness among the mass.

To measure the efficacy of group, a very little amount of studies have been  conducted in this area. This is partly because the groups themselves often strictly guard their privacy. But it is quite evident that it is beneficial as the members know better about the other members' problem, so they most of the time are able to provide the emotional support needed and also a strong personal relationship takes into place in such group setting, which helps members to create new friends. And ofcourse these outcomes are more than sufficient to justify their existence as beneficial.