1 in 10: Uniting for Change - BPD Awareness Week 2025 Calls for Urgent Action

From 1 to 7 October 2025, Australia will mark BPD Awareness Week under the theme "1 in 10: Uniting for Change." This year's campaign carries a clear and urgent message. Recent Australian research reveals that one in ten suicides are linked to symptoms consistent with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This stark statistic highlights the need for urgent reform in mental health care.

Despite the risks, people living with BPD continue to face systemic neglect. Many are told they are too difficult to treat, that their suffering is untreatable, or that their needs are too complex for the system. These outdated myths deny individuals the compassionate, trauma-informed support that can change and even save lives.

BPD Awareness Week 2025 is a national call to action. It seeks to unite clinicians, carers, communities, and policymakers to break down silos, challenge stigma, and create a shared understanding of BPD. The campaign is centred on one truth: together, we can do better.

What People Living with BPD Need
People living with BPD want clinicians and carers who listen without judgment, who stay present during moments of crisis, and who can see their strengths beyond their symptoms. They need to feel that they are not "too complex" and that recovery is not only possible but expected with the right support. For many, knowing that someone will stay with them in distress and believe in their capacity for healing can make all the difference.

This campaign invites individuals with lived experience to share what support is most helpful during times of suicidal distress. Their voices will help shape the conversation and shift public understanding away from stigma and towards compassion and effective care.

What Carers Need
Carers often walk a difficult path. They want to know what helps and what harms. They want clear guidance on how to support their loved ones while also caring for themselves. Too often, carers feel excluded from care teams or unfairly blamed for the challenges their loved ones face. BPD Awareness Week is calling for greater inclusion, empathy, and practical support for carers. Their perspectives are vital to improving systems of care.

What Clinicians Need
Clinicians frequently face the tension between their desire to support someone in distress and the limits of an overstretched system that prioritises targets over human needs. Many want to move beyond outdated models of care but lack the time, resources, or training to do so. By listening to clinicians and supporting them with evidence-based, relational approaches, we can build a stronger mental health system that truly works for people living with BPD.

This year's campaign invites clinicians to share what supports would help them continue this important work. Their insights will help shape systemic changes that benefit both professionals and those they care for.

A Shared Call for Change
BPD Awareness Week 2025 is not only about raising awareness. It is about creating collective change. The campaign asks everyone-individuals, families, services, and policymakers-to commit to breaking down harmful myths, advocating for relational and trauma-informed care, and building a system that values every person's dignity and recovery journey.

Ambassador Destanee Aiava, an Australian tennis player competing on the international circuit, has joined the campaign this year. By sharing her platform, she aims to bring visibility to the lived experience of BPD and to spark vital conversations about suicide prevention, resilience, and hope.

The campaign is also inviting the public to take part in a national survey. Responses will help shape the focus and content of this year's awareness efforts, ensuring they reflect the real needs of those living with BPD, their carers, and their clinicians.

A National Movement of Hope
"1 in 10: Uniting for Change" is more than a theme. It is a reminder that behind every statistic is a person, a family, a community. Change is possible when we listen, include, and unite. By coming together, we can replace stigma with support and despair with hope.

For those living with BPD, for the carers who support them, and for the clinicians doing their best within the system, this week is a time to come together and affirm one truth-no one is untreatable, and recovery is possible.

Take Action
Join the conversation this BPD Awareness Week by sharing your voice. Visit the official survey to contribute your experience and help shape the campaign. Together, we can drive systemic change and reduce the risk of suicide.

At MLA Psychology, we believe in the power of compassionate, trauma-informed care to support individuals and families living with BPD and complex trauma. To learn more or to book an appointment, visit our website today and take the first step toward healing.

MLA Psychology
admin@mlapsychology.com
(07) 5606 1784
https://mlapsychology.com/
Nerang St, Nerang QLD 4211, Australia

MLA Psychology offers mobile, telehealth & in-person psychology services in the Gold Coast. Get expert care from home. Need psychology gold coast services? Contact us today.

This release was published on openPR.