What started as a small meeting in DBSA co-founder Rose Kurland’s living room has grown into the nation’s leading peer advocacy organization supporting those with mood disorders.
DBSA has grown tremendously since its inception, now connecting more than 1.5 million people each year with peer support, education, and resources. DBSA supports more than 20,000 support group meetings, both online and in person through our 80 local chapters, allowing more than 250,000 people to attend support groups each year. Through our advocacy efforts, we amplify peers’ voices and work toward systemic change in the delivery of mental health care. As we reflect on the past 40 years of supporting peers, we also look ahead to the coming decades of making peer support available to all, when and where they need it. We look forward to building brighter futures together.
Co-Founder Rose Kurland reflects on the origins of DBSA and its mission
In the spring of 1978, DBSA co-founder Rose Kurland began her search for support and healing after being hospitalized for depression. Unable to find existing self-help support groups for people living with mood disorders, she started her own support group in her living room. Driven by the belief in the transformative power of community and self-directed wellness plans, Rose laid the roots for what would become DBSA. Watch the interview.
