Getting 1,000 people to ‘like’ a facebook page in today’s world isn’t exactly news–even for a blog by the same name.  Yet this milestone is worthy of a headline for the BPDs and loved ones who make up the growing community hosted on the Shades of Grey BPD facebook page.

“Even though I was living in NYC, where one is constantly surrounded by ‘crazy’ people, I felt desperately alone–always an outsider when not in a BPD research or treatment setting.  I wasn’t comfortable sharing my diagnosis, fears or frustrations in real-life relationships, but found the internet full of negative stereotypes and ‘support’ groups that were actually very anti-BPD and pessimistic about recovery.  I never imagined that a site which encouraged BPDs and loved ones to ‘not just survive, but THRIVE’ would attract such a large following and become a full-time endeavor,” says Reagan Colette, who now serves as the SOG BPD Social Media Team Lead and facebook administrator.

Shades of Grey started as a NYC-based meetup group which held open sessions led by experts on BPD issues and DBT skills. Members benefited significantly from the content and discussions, but were discouraged by the cost for private meeting space required for confidentiality and the additional commute after an already exhausting day in a busy city. SOG leaders were hesitant about the sessions being substituted for hard-to-find (and even harder to afford) BPD-specific therapy or medical advice, as well as liability issues should a participant be ‘triggered’ by a highly-emotional personal disclosure.  To increase accessibility to a global community of consumers and advocates, the Leadership Team began to develop an online framework for community building. Instead of competing with other educational and professional sites which focus on providing technical diagnostic information or hosting the latest medical research, Shades of Grey strives to empower those diagnosed with and affected by borderline personality disorder to THRIVE through their EMBRACE campaign initiatives.

“The progress made by our online community is a testament to how BPD is not a life (or death) sentence, but that it is possible to THRIVE with this biological brain disorder.  In fact, our success is due to the elevated levels of emotional caring and creativity of members, traits which are too often overlooked and overshadowed by inaccurate media portrayals and stereotypes”, notes Kristen Brekenshire, founder of Shades of Grey. “With no team members having a formal background in web development or graphic design and having to rely mostly on personal funds and donations for software and licenses, we are extremely grateful to the many volunteers for their advice, tutorials and contributions to the site, and are optimistic about the upgrades and features coming this fall.”

By September, the Shades of Grey BPD website will replace the existing meetup.com groups, and will begin hosting online psychoeducation courses, DBT skills training and coaching, and interactive support groups, as well as offering member-only access to podcasts, e-books, and a quarterly newsletter. SOG has also partnered with THE BPD SHOP to offer products made by and for those with BPD, with proceeds supporting awareness, research and recovery initiatives.  The Official BPD Awareness EMBRACElet has been the most popular item, having been ordered by individuals, loved ones, mental health professionals, and therapy groups around the world.

When the 1,000 member mark was reached, site statistics reported users from 19 countries, 35% being age 25-34, and approximately 80% female and 20% male. The page features positive mental health-related quotes, reflections, statistics, links to research and articles, and contributions from experts. Members interact by ‘liking’ posts or responding to direct questions with their thoughts, feelings, and suggestions, and thus functions as a safe, authentic forum for those seeking information, support, and new online connections. Perhaps most importantly, the news feeds provide a daily confirmation that they are not alone in their struggle to deal with an often ‘black-and-white’ world–and hope that to ‘THRIVE in Shades of Grey’ is not just a symbolic tagline, but a real possibility.