The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is a leading national organization focusing on mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorder, which affect 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 provides hope, help, and support through peer-based, wellness-focused, empowering services and resources when people need them, where they need them, and how they need to receive them.
DBSA fosters an environment of understanding about the impact and management of these life-threatening conditions by providing wellness tools and educational information written in language the general public can understand. DBSA supports research to promote more timely diagnosis, and to develop more effective treatments.
DBSA has a grassroots network of more than 500 peer-run support groups across the country. DBSA’s peer-led chapters and support groups serve about 60,000 people every year. Support groups play an important role in wellness. DBSA has 8 state organizations and over 200 chapters nationwide. We also provide several online support groups and platform for parents of children with mood disorders.
DBSA publishes numerous educational resources, both electrically and in-print, about living with mood disorders, all written in peer-friendly, scientifically vetted language. Each month, DBSA distributes hundreds of informational packets free of charge to anyone requesting information about mood disorders. DBSA also answers thousands of calls each year on a toll-free information and referral line and receives over eighty thousand hits per month on DBSA’s website: DBSAlliance.org.
DBSA reaches over four million individuals each year through educational materials, public programs and media activities.
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 the 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.
