Senator Fine Leads the Way to Adopt Senate Resolution 811 Declaring May Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month in Illinois.
The following press release was issued by Senator Fine about the BPD Month Resolution in May 2024: http://www.senatorfine.com/news/press-releases/264-fine-establishes-may-as-borderline-personality-disorder-month
To reduce the stigma surrounding borderline personality disorder and bring awareness to the condition, State Senator Laura Fine led a resolution to designate May as Borderline Personality Disorder Month in Illinois.
“Borderline personality disorder affects an individual mentally, emotionally and socially, which is why it is important that we understand the impact of this mental illness to help those with BPD,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “Mental illness can not only limit a person’s physical well-being, but it also can deter them from seeking help if people don’t understand how it affects them.”
Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that can impact a person’s ability to manage their emotional state. Loss of emotional control can increase impulsivity, affect self-esteem and negatively impact interpersonal relationships.
Senate Resolution 811 establishes May 2024 as Borderline Disorder Month. This resolution aims to improve understanding of borderline personality disorder and how to support those with this mental illness.
“Borderline personality disorder is among the most stigmatized and least understood mental illnesses, with serious implications to the person, family and society when left untreated. We are grateful to State Senator Laura Fine, for her leadership of Senate Resolution 811, to declare May as BPD Month in Illinois. Recovery begins with education, and Illinois is paving a path for other states to bring more awareness to BPD.” - Paula Tusiani-Eng, LMSW, Executive Director, Emotions Matter Inc.
"Borderline personality disorder profoundly affects individuals and their families. By establishing May as Borderline Personality Disorder Month, Illinois is championing a much-needed cause that prioritizes education and awareness. There are effective, evidence-based therapies that can pave the way toward recovery, and awareness is the first step in improving access to these treatments for the more than 250,000 residents of Illinois who live with BPD. This initiative, led by Senator Laura Fine, is a beacon of hope for countless individuals, emphasizing the importance of empathy, understanding, and support in the journey toward recovery. We extend our deepest gratitude to Senator Fine for her unwavering dedication to this critical issue." – Julie Frantsve-Hawley, PhD, Advocacy Committee member, the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder.
Senate Resolution 811 was adopted by the Senate.
Illinois House Mental Health & Addiction Committee Adopts Resolution for May as "BPD Month"
Thank you to Representative Lindsey LaPointe and Representatives of the Illinois House Mental Health and Addiction Committee (Rep. LaPointe, Rep. Guzzardi and Rep. Severin pictured above) for unanimously endorsing IL-HJR0030 naming May as "BPD Month" at a Hearing on Thursday, May 11, 2023 in Springfield, IL.
We are grateful to Rep. LaPointe and the Committee for their leadership to bring more BPD education and awareness to the people of Illinois.
“We want to create greater awareness for BPD because it impacts a significant portion of our population, but is too often overlooked,” state Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, D-Chicago, said. “Barriers to care and unnecessary stigma have created an environment that prevents too many people from realizing the life they deserve. We need to better prioritize these issues.”
We are also thankful to our Emotions Matter volunteers, Lara Cuomo, Kimberly Hickey, Linda Singer and Julie Frantsve-Hawley, Phd,CAE from NEA-BPD for presenting at the Hearing.
For more information about the resolution and it's language: https://legiscan.com/IL/text/HJR0030/2023.
Emotions Matter and NEA-BPD will continue their efforts to bring more awareness about BPD to the people of Illinois when they present this resolution to the State Senate in October.
To get involved, https://emotionsmatterbpd.org/advocacygetinvolved
“Telling my story to politicians terrified me at first, but my ability to impact thousands of lives in state of Illinois motivated me to conquer my fears. Their empathy for my story and overwhelming support for the resolution, which declares May BPD Month in Illinois, was worth it!
— Lara, Emotions Matter Advocacy Committee Volunteer
“Having the opportunity to educate the state representatives on the Mental Health & Addiction Committee about BPD was such an incredible experience. It was amazing to see all the members become so passionate about helping those with BPD get access to treatment.
— Kimberly, Emotions Matter Advocacy Committee Chair
Declare May as BPD Awareness Month in Illinois
Emotions Matter's Advocacy Committee has been working hard with volunteers in Illinois to present a Resolution to the House Mental Health and Addiction Committee to declare May as BPD Awareness Month in Illinois.
We just received word yesterday that the resolution (attached below) will be formally presented at a hearing before the House Mental Health Committee on Thursday, May 11th.
Will you help us show that people in Illinois support this resolution by sending emails to members of the Mental Health Committee?
Here are two steps you can take to help today:
Download, Customize and Sign your Name to the Support letter below.
Email your letter to Members of the House Mental Committee.
** Time is of the essence. The hearing is May 11th!!!
Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can provide additional information. We have created a step by step instruction guide below but are happy to help. Email us at info@emotionsmatterbpd.org for assistance. Thanks for your help and support!
Emotions Matter
Thank you for making a difference for people with BPD who need treatment, not prison, in California!
We did it! Governor Gavin Newsom of California signed AB 1412 into law removing borderline personality disorder as an exclusion from the Pretrial Prison Diversion Bill!! Since 2018, California Penal Code 1001.26 has allowed pretrial diversion for people with mental health disorders, like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression, but it specifically excluded people diagnosed with BPD from accessing mental health treatment -- until NOW.
Because of your letters and phone calls, today people in California diagnosed with BPD who are charged with a crime will have the same right to pretrial diversion and treatment, instead of prison.
Because of your advocacy, people with BPD will now be seen as people suffering from a mental illness in need of care, not as criminals.
This victory is the first-time advocacy organizations came together to remove BPD discrimination from legislation.
Emotions Matter Inc. partnered with the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder, the California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies (CBHA), and Assemblyman Hart (Santa Barbara) to pass this bill. We testified at hearings for AB1412 and presented updated scientific research about BPD.
Thank you to our Advocacy Committee members for their leadership. Thank you also to all of the people from around the country who sent letters and phone calls to Governor Newsom. We did it, together!
See our most recent letter-writing campaign to advocate for the inclusion of BPD in the list of serious mental illnesses (SMI) at SAMHSA. May 2019. Click here to see a copy of the letter.
Emotions Matter sends letter in September to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in Washington D.C., asking the administration to update its information about BPD on its federal website and list “borderline personality disorder” as a major mental illness. Click here to see a copy of the letter.
Emotions Matter supports 2017 Congressional Letter for BPD Advocacy!
Thank you to all our supporters, especially Rep. Barbara Comstock, Rep. Ted Lieu, Rep. Ryan Costello, Rep. Kathleen Rice, Rep. Paul Gosar, and Rep. Claudia Tenney for participating in our #TakeBPDSeriously campaign.
2016 Change.org Letter Writing Advocacy Campaign to NIMH
May 2016 Meeting With Bruce Cuthbert, Acting Director of NIMH
On May 13th, Paula Tusiani-Eng and Sarah Rooney, members of Emotions Matter, Inc., met with Dr. Bruce Cuthbert, the Acting Director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, along with Dr. Perry Hoffman from the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEA-BPD) and Dr. Carla Sharp from the University of Houston. They presented Mr. Cuthbert with printed copies of signatures and comments from the Change.org petition, which advocated for more research funding for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). They also shared stories from individuals and family members from around the country who have been impacted by BPD. Dr. Cuthbert thanked us for informing him about BPD, and will take the petition under review. Emotions Matter would like to thank all of those who participated in our advocacy campaign for the months of April and May. We made our goal of 5,000 signatures and are effectively advocating for BPD!
Did you know that BPD was the LEAST FUNDED mental illness by NIMH in 2015?
POLITICAL ADVOCACY
We want to educate our elected officials about BPD and its impact on society. The following is a picture of our members speaking with legislative staffers with the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, chaired by Congresswoman Grace Napolitano.
