BPD Awareness Week 2017 - From Stigma to Strength

The Ambassador for BPD Awareness Week 2017 Professor Ian Hickie introduces this years campaign.

He welcomes people with BPD and their families and speaks about the ways in which we may more positively promote the quality of their lives and also more positive engagement with the health system.

Ian Hickie is a National Mental Health Commissioner and a co-director of the Brain and Mind Institute

The BPD Awareness Collaboration Group

In 2017 an expanded group of clinical and not-for-profit organisations who have an interest in BPD are collaborating to continue to promote understanding of BPD in the community and the need for equitable access to evidence based treatment options and support (including families) to improve the quality of life for everyone impacted by BPD.

The BPD Collaboration Group has decided to follow on the theme for the annual BPD Conference to be held in Perth later in October. The theme for this year’s conference is From Stigma to Strength. Click here for more information regarding the 2 day conference.

The group is very grateful for the generous financial support provided by Mind Australia Limited, NEAMI National, Project Air Strategy for Personality Disorders NSW, and Spectrum Personality Disorder Service for Victoria which has enabled us to contract The PR Collaborative to undertake a public relations and media campaign for BPD Awareness Week.

The BPD Awareness Week Collaboration group is also extremely appreciative of the pro bono support that Titan Digital are providing to refresh and manage the website they developed for BPD Awareness Week in 2016. 

This year the Australian BPD Foundation is coordinating the BPD Awareness Collaboration group which includes:

• Australian BPD Foundation including the NSW, SA & Victorian Branches
• BPD Awareness ACT
• BPD Community
• Fenix Borderline Network WA
• Guy Ellies, Volunteer Project Coordinator 2016 BPD Awareness Week
• Helping Minds WA
• Mental Health Carers NSW
• Mental Illness Fellowship Australia
• Mind Australia Limited
• NEA-BPD [National Education Alliance for BPD (Aust)] and ‘Family Connections’
• NEAMI National
• Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health (Vic)
• Private Mental Health Consumer Carer Network (Australia)
• Project Air Strategy for Personality Disorders (NSW)
• SANE Australia
• Spectrum Personality Disorder Service for Victoria

It is great to see the group constantly expanding! We are building on the excellent foundation established in 2016 and look forward to building the momentum in 2017.

GET INVOLVED!

Check out the BPD Awareness Week website to strengthen efforts to raise awareness of BPD and get involved!!

2017 NATIONAL EVENTS:

Oct 3 - SANE Topic Tuesday
SANE’s online peer support forum for people with lived experience.
Date: Tuesday 3 Oct
Time: 7pm – 9 pm AEST
Forum: Lived Experience
Title: What is it like to live with BPD? Your questions answered.
Prior to the session SANE will be asking people what they want to know about BPD, and people with lived experience of BPD will be invited to answer the questions that have been submitted.

Launch - BPD National Survey: Foundations for Change 2017  (2nd Edition)

These reports have now been released. Download Reports here.

The Private Mental Health Consumer Carer Network (Australia), [now Lived Experience Australia], conducted two surveys, one for consumers with a lived experience and one for families and carers affected by BPD. They will analyse this data and have the Report/s ready for Ian Hickie, Mental Health Commissioner and Director Brain Mind Centre to launch (and comment on) during BPD Awareness Week 2017.

They provide an analysis of the results of survey that was originally conducted in 2011 and repeated in 2017. This work was undertaken in order to compare and determine any changes in the healthcare experiences of consumers with BPD over time, given greater awareness of BPD within mental health and primary care service systems since the first survey was undertaken, and the release of the National Health and Medical Research (NHMRC) Guidelines for the Treatment of BPD in December 2012. A companion survey was also conducted with family members/ informal, unpaid carers of people with BPD, and results of this repeat survey are provided in a separate report.

Four-hundred and twenty-four (424) consumers with BPD entered the survey site. Of these, 424 consumers (100%) proceeded to answer survey questions, with 69 consumers (16.27%) completing all questions, and 355 (83.73%) being selective in which questions they responded to. This represents a substantial increase (almost threefold) in overall respondents compared with the original survey in 2011, although a decrease in the proportion of people who answered all questions. In 2011, 153 consumers (95.0%) proceeded to answer survey questions, with 92 consumers (60.1%) completing all questions, and 61 (39.9%) being selective in which questions they responded to.

Pt 1. CONSUMERS: Experiences of Consumers with the Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) 2017 Update. Lawn, S., McMahon, J., Zabeen, S. (2017) Private Mental Health Consumer Carer Network (Australia) Ltd: Marden, South Australia, Australia.

Pt 2. CARERS: Experiences of carers supporting someone with the Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) 2017 Update. Lawn, S., McMahon, J., Zabeen, S. Private Mental Health Consumer Carer Network (Australia) Ltd: Marden, South Australia, Australia.

ACT

Oct 4 - Art Exhibition Launch

Exhibition at Belconnen Community Services Art Gallery from 3-20 October 2017. Opening event will be on Wednesday 4th October at 5.30pm.

Oct 7 - BPD Family Day
Aboriginal Traditional Weaving and BBQ - 7th October 2017

Presented by BPD Awareness ACT. For more information contact Natalie

NSW

Oct 5 Awareness Week NSW Event

Thursday 5th October, 9.00 am – 12.30
Venue: The Wesley Centre, Lower Ground, 220 Pitt St, Sydney, 2000

Presentations include:

• Launch of the BPD Mental Health Professionals Network (MHPN) for NSW: Catherine Lourey
• MHPN and BPD Network Aspirations & Questions: Chris Wilcox
• Project Air Presentations: Brin Grenyer & Fiona Ng
      - Project Air Rollout
      - What is BPD & How Can it be Treated
      - What do people with BPD want from treatment?
• Recovery Journey, Consumer Perspective: Mahlie Jewel
• Recovery Journey, Carer Perspective: Peter Heggie
• Australian BPD Foundation: aims, objectives and activities: Jonathan Harms, Chair of NSW Branch of the Foundation

Presented by the NSW branch of the Australian BPD Foundation in partnership with Mental Health Carers NSW, Project Air Strategy NSW and the Mental Health Professional Network.

QUEENSLAND

Oct 4 - Launch of the Ipswich / West Morton Branch of the Mental Health Professionals Network.

Contact Angela for more information. Click here for flyer

SA

Oct 5 - BORDERLINE (a film)
This 2016 documentary follows one person with a diagnosis of BPD who gives us access to her internal world. Starring John Gunderson, Marsha Linehan, Peter Fonagy, Regina V, David Fox, Antonia New, Barbara R, Mary Zanarini, Charlotte M. Suitable for everyone over 18 with an interest in BPD.

6:00pm: Light supper, wine, juice, soft drinks
7:00pm: Movie
8:30pm: Discussion with Martha Kent, a psychiatrist who has specialised in treating people with BPD, and panel.

The Regal Theatre
275 Kensington Rd, Kensington Park, SA
Tickets: $10 unwaged / $20 waged (inc GST)
Bookings essential

Presented by Australian BPD Foundation (SA Branch) and Sanctuary BPD Carer Support Group

VICTORIA

Oct 3 - Fostering Hope and Optimism

Dr Peter McKenzie from the Bouverie Centre will introduce the following workshops to family/carers in Ballarat:

• Lunchtime session for the Carers, family and friends of those living with BPD
• Afternoon training/information session for the staff across Centacare programs and potentially staff of collaborating agencies on engagement of clients living with BPD.

Presented by the Victorian branch of the Australian BPD Foundation in partnership with Centacare Ballarat and Bouverie Centre. For more information email admin

Oct 4 - Launch of 'Toward a National BPD Training and Professional Development Strategy' on Wednesday 4th October in Melbourne.

UPSKILLING AND ENGAGING CLINICIANS WORKING WITH PEOPLE WITH BPD AND THEIR FAMILIES
The Australian BPD Foundation in partnership with Spectrum Personality Disorder Service for Victoria and the Mental Health Professional Network are delighted to have been provided with funding from the National Mental Health Commission to undertake Stage 1 of 'Toward a National BPD Training and Professional Development Strategy'.

Stage 1 includes:

• an online BPD webinar series for mental health professionals
• maintenance and establishment of locally based practitioner networks across Australia
• provision of professional development sessions to these networks
• establishment of a practitioner resource virtual library
• scoping for potential for development of e-learning modules.

This is a direct response to the work of the Ministerial Expert Borderline Personality Disorder Reference Group in 2010 – 2012 and the NHMRC Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Borderline Personality Disorder, that have identified a clear need to provide people with a lived experience of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) access to high quality, responsive, evidence-based treatment, care and support.

Dr Peggy Brown, CEO, National Mental Health Commission will launch the training strategy at an event to be held on the 4th October 2017. 

Oct 5 - 3rd BPD Awareness Week 'Celebration Night' 

A woman with lived experience of BPD will be presenting on her journey to recovery. Hosted by Lisa Webb featuring Zeke Ox
Date: 6.30 pm Thursday 5th October, 2017
Venue: The Theatrette, Sth Melbourne Town Hall, Bank St Sth Melbourne

Brought to you by BPD Community. For more information contact Barb

WA

Oct 6 - Launch of the WA Branch of the Australian BPD Foundation.

We invite attendees to add information to the tree of knowledge for WA based services, people interested in the work of the WA Branch, things that work, identified gaps, and aspirations for the future of the WA Branch of the BPD Foundation.

• What, where and who do you know?
• WA based places and people who care?
• Come and add to our tree of knowledge!

WHEN 10:00am - 12:00pm, Friday 6 October
RSVP bpdwa@bpdfoundation.org.au
Or call Sharon or Sam on (08) 9237 8900