AFR News: DBSA e-Update

Helping Our Youngest Peers through Parent-, Teen-, and Young Adult-Focused Programs

In January, DBSA welcomed the Balanced Mind Parent Network (BMPN), formerly The Balanced Mind Foundation, to our family, integrating their parent online communities and helpline into DBSA program offerings. This integration offers greater potential, through early intervention, to help reduce the severity of mental health issues for children as they grow and as they transition into adulthood.
DBSA will be building on the excellent BMPN programs to offer new tools and resources for parents and teens as well as addressing the needs of new audiences like young adults. Today, we share a new parent-focused podcast featuring Dr. Kenneth Towbin, Chief of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, Maryland. We’re also introducing a new monthly feature in eUpdate, the Parent Connection, offering news about expanded or new parent, child, and teen programming. Read the full story

For Clinicians Section on DBSAlliance.org
Now Open!
DBSA is pleased to announce that the For Clinicians section on DBSAlliance.org is now open. This section serves as a quick resource for mental health professionals to find resources for themselves and their patients. Because DBSA believes such shared decision making is vital to achieving wellness, we support initiatives that foster open dialogues between people who live with mood disorders and clinical communities in an effort to improve the quality of mental health care. We invite mental health professionals to learn more and or share their ideas on ways to promote collaborative care in the new For Clinicians section of DBSAlliance.org.
We will be expanding the information, tools, and resources under For Clinicians. Please share any ideas for expansion by emailing programs@DBSAlliance.org.

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	Ask the Doc I don’t have insurance; how can I get medication? Get the answer.		President's Note Expanding Our Reach. Read more.
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February 2014

Care for Your Mind: Federal agency proposes new barriers to quality mental health care. Read and take action. February Highlights

NEW Monthly Feature
This month, Dr. Kenneth Towbin of NIMH shares the latest research on bipolar disorder in children and adolescents. Read the article.

Candid on Camera
"American Idol": Chasing stardom, fighting stigma.
Read the article.

The Power of Peers

DBSA envisions wellness for people who live with depression and bipolar disorder. Because DBSA was created for and is led by individuals living with mood disorders, our vision, mission, and programming are always informed by the personal, lived experience of peers.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)