The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is a leading national organization focusing on mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorder, which affects over 21 million Americans, account for over 50% of the nation’s suicides every year, and cost $23 billion in lost workdays and other workplace losses.
DBSA offers peer-based, wellness-oriented support and empowering services and resources available when people need them, where they need them, and how they need to receive them—online 24/7, in local support groups, in audio and video casts, or in printed materials distributed by DBSA, our chapters, and mental health care facilities across America.
Through our extensive online and print resources and our support groups and chapters, DBSA reaches millions of people each year with in-person and online peer support; current, readily understandable information about depression and bipolar disorder; and empowering tools focused on an integrated approach to wellness.
DBSA publishes in peer-reviewed medical journals and conducts surveys on issues of importance to individuals living with mood disorders and those treating these disorders.
DBSA’s prestigious 40-member Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is comprised of leading researchers and clinicians in the field of mood disorders. SAB members review DBSA publications and programs for medical and scientific accuracy. In addition, SAB members present at DBSA conferences, author peer-reviewed manuscripts on behalf of the organization, and represent DBSA to the media.
DBSA is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization and depends upon public support to achieve its vital mission to empower and educate peers…and save lives. Roughly 85% of DBSA’s budget comes from charitable contributions, which include gifts and grants from corporations, foundations, individuals, and government agencies. The remaining 15% of DBSA’s budget comes from earned revenues, chapter affiliation and membership fees, program dues, contracted work in training and consultation, and event and publication fees.
Our Values
- Community—DBSA creates the opportunity for meaningful lives by compassionately engaging with individuals and providing peer-led support groups, educational materials, and wellness tools that focus on resiliency, achievement, creativity, and connection.
- Inspiration—DBSA celebrates peers’ accomplishments, including those of the many talented, successful individuals recognized by the public for their contributions to the world.
- Wisdom—DBSA advances learning through research and experience while promoting a transformative understanding of mental health through wide, timely dissemination of information about the latest treatments, wellness practices, and lived experiences.
- Responsibility—DBSA advocates for the right of peers to choose their own paths to mental, emotional, and physical wellness while promoting structures and practices that advance whole health and accessible care for everyone.
