In its eUpdate for February 2011, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) announced it’s keynote speakers for the upcoming DBSA 2011 National Conference: Peer Connections.

They are?

Author, advocate, and educator Susan Rose Blauner and…

… actress, advocate, and author Patty Duke!

Neither lady is a stranger to mental illness (obviously).

After surviving multiple suicide attempts, Blauner, who will also be leading the Pre-Conference Institute: Staying Alive from the Inside, went on to deliver several keynotes and workshops, author How I Stayed Alive When My Brain Was Trying to Kill Me which deals with her experiences with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and borderline personality disorder, and receive the Survivor Achievement Award for Distinguished Creativity and Personal Effort in Suicide Prevention from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Duke, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1982, was the first celebrity to go public with a bipolar disorder diagnosis and, in addition to lobbying the United States Congress, has since worked with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

The DBSA 2011 National Conference will be held May 20-22 in Houston, Texas. Also, the DBSA has announced if you register before March 31, 2011, you can save some money and get the Early Bird Rate.

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    Last reviewed: 23 Jan 2012