Montreal group raising awareness for those with borderline personality disorder

Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that severely impacts a person's ability to regulate emotions, and those living with the illness often face stigma.

On Sunday, a fundraising walk was held in Montreal to reduce barriers and offer support.

Sashbear Foundation co-founder Lynn Courey said she wanted to give to the community and open up about people living with emotional dysregulation, including those with borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Her daughter Sasha suffered from it and died by suicide.

"She needed help to be able to manage her intense chronic emotional dysregulation, and unfortunately, nothing was available in Quebec or even across Canada," said Courey.

She co-founded Sashbear in memory of her daughter.

It provides support to individuals with family members who have emotional dysregulation and have trouble navigating common emotional experiences.

Sashbear hosts annual walks across the country to raise awareness, fight back against stigma and to help people realize that they are not alone.

Courey said it took eight years before her daughter was diagnosed with BPD.

"At this point, she was always at the edge of the cliff, and it was too late for her," she said.

Psychotherapist Jennifer Sidel said that often, the condition is not diagnosed or is not diagnosed early enough.

"Not when they can actually really benefit from the skills and the therapy when it would be most helpful," said Sidel.

Sidel believes that more access to mental health care is needed, especially on the public side.

Clinical nurse Silvana Perna said it's crucial to reduce stigma among health-care workers.

"Even within the health-care professionals, it still remains a taboo," she said. "There's been a lot of waves made, but there's a long way to go to make mental health something that is accessible to everyone - just an open door."

Its the message that resonates with the Sashbear Foundation, which offers programming that includes free-of-charge courses on BPD.

"The first time you show up, you feel so alone, and then it's really a world of difference," said Sashbear volunteer Marie Raphael.