DBSA celebrated its 35th anniversary and completed its first year of a three-year strategic plan in 2020, during a year of unprecedented change and challenges related to the pandemic, an economic recession, and civil unrest. The DBSA team enhanced and, in some cases, transformed programs and services during this period, including assisting our chapter network migrate local, in-person meetings to virtual platforms; expanding our national online support group seven-fold; and creating and distributing digital wellness tools, podcasts, and videos to support the growing interest in mental health and peer-to-peer resources to help people cope with depression, bipolar and other mental health conditions. During this period DBSA also launched the “DBSA Mood Crew™”, new resources to help caregivers, clinicians, and teachers engage children ages 4 – 10 to identify and express a myriad of feelings they may be experiencing.

In the wake of our country’s civil unrest and racial reckoning, DBSA is committed to offering more mental health wellness resources and peer support in communities of color. We have begun to form local partnerships in Chicago, where we are headquartered and have secured funding to launch national outreach strategies to reach a more diverse audience of peers, caregivers, and clinicians of color.