Home DBSA Celebrates its 40th Year!

DBSA Celebrates its 40th Year!

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 40th Anniversary

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.

This year, we’ll recognize and honor special awareness months such as:

To celebrate, DBSA is hosting three events:

Gerald L. Klerman Awards

In May, DBSA hosted the Gerald L. Klerman Award and Scientific Advisory Board Reception in Los Angeles. The Gerald L. Klerman Award is the highest honor that DBSA gives to members of the scientific community. Presented each year, this award recognizes researchers whose work advances knowledge of the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of depression and bipolar disorder. Awards are given annually in each of the following two categories: DBSA Gerald L. Klerman Award, Senior Investigator, and DBSA Gerald L. Klerman Award, Young Investigator.

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2025 Peer Leadership & Education Convening

In September, DBSA proudly hosted the 2025 Peer Leadership & Education Convening in Chicago—a powerful two-day gathering that brought together peer leaders, advocates, and partners from across the country.

From Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison’s moving keynote to heartfelt conversations and collaborative sessions, the convening celebrated the strength of lived experience and the essential role of peer support in mental health recovery. Attendees shared insights, built new connections, and helped shape the future of peer leadership as DBSA looks ahead to its next strategic plan.

This event was a testament to the passion and impact of our community. Together, we’re continuing to grow a national movement that empowers individuals living with mood disorders to lead, connect, and thrive.

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DBSA Mental Health Equity Convening

On November 13–14, DBSA will proudly host its inaugural in-person Mental Health Equity Convening in Chicago. Centered on the theme Radical Hope, Sustainable Collaboration, the gathering will bring together senior staff and volunteer leaders from smaller, national mental health organizations dedicated to supporting historically marginalized communities.

Our goals are to:

  • Share resources and identify opportunities for collaboration
  • Elevate collective impact across organizations
  • Lay the groundwork for future convenings and ongoing connection

Keynote Speaker
Altha Stewart, MD

Altha J. Stewart, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Community Health Engagement at UTHSC, is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in community and public mental health, trauma-informed care, and health equity. She is the founding director of the Center for Youth Advocacy and Well-Being and director of Public and Community Psychiatry at UTHSC, where she leads efforts to expand the behavioral health workforce, increase access to family and peer support, and build systems of care for children’s mental health. Over her nearly 40-year career, Dr. Stewart has led major public mental health systems in New York, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and in 2017 became the first African American president of the American Psychiatric Association. She continues to shape the field through leadership roles, groundbreaking initiatives addressing trauma and health disparities, and service on numerous national and local boards, earning widespread recognition and prestigious awards for her impact.

DBSA would like to thank the following sponsors for making DBSA’s 40th Anniversary events and activities possible:

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