Advocacy for people with borderline personality disorder

Although many of the largest and best known consumer and family mental health advocacy organizations do not restrict themselves to a single diagnosis, over the last few decades an increasing number of disease-specific mental health advocacy organizations have emerged. This column describes the development of a movement advocating for consumers and families affected by borderline personality disorder (BPD) as an example of two trends in the mental health advocacy field: closer ties between advocacy and professional groups and specialization to better address the different needs created by different diagnoses.