The idea. I was driving into downtown Houston on the 6th of March 2008 and decided to call the Chronicle and see what could be stirred up. I had the BPD Fact Sheet handy. I checked the Chronicle and got editorial contact information for the Health section and for the overall paper. I called the Executive Vice President and Editor and left a message for him. My message deliberately did not mention the name of borderline personality disorder, but I made certain to tell of my purpose for calling which was to bring to their attention a little-known psychiatric disorder affecting more than the population of those with schizophrenia, causing a greater loss of life, plus two or three other salient points.

The connection. Within 30 minutes an editor returned my call. He wanted to know more and so I identified the disorder, its lack of media coverage and reinforced the seriousness of this illness. He agreed to an interview in their offices downtown and I asked how he felt about one or two others accompanying me. He responded that this was acceptable and so I called Menninger Clinic and spoke with BPD expert John Oldham, MD who agreed to join. I subsequently asked my wife to come too, for the mother's side of our family picture. And Menninger’s Sr. VP for Public Affairs joined us as a friendly observer. She provided a letter saying that 'Everything said in the meeting is fair for going into print.’

The meeting. The setting for the meeting with the editor was a large, richly decorated conference room with coffee and seating around a great walnut table. All were in business clothes. The editor was joined by two editorial writers. After brief introductions, I opened with a story of my personal journey, from the advent of BPD in my family up to the present time. I distributed several pieces of literature including a BPD Fact Sheet, the House Resolution, the BPD Brief and links to the BPD Demystified and NEABPD websites. My wife followed with a story of some of her experiences with BPD and offered her NAMI Texas Advocate article. Then Dr. John Oldham gave a first class dissertation of the disorder and provided further material. The only question they raised was how the current congressional activities with the Parity bill might affect people with BPD.

The good bye. At the conclusion of our meeting we thanked them and left. They offered no indication as to if, when, or where they might publish and we did not press this point.

The thank you.  When the Chronicle printed its editorial, I wrote a letter of appreciation to the editor who met with us and he responded that the thanks should go to us, as it was very educational for them.

Tips. Sometimes long-time journalists will ask an edgy question so be aware of those traps and avoid repeating negative language. Always come back to your key points, saying in response---'You make a good point. What is more important is XYZ.' This will make for a more successful outcome. Consider Talking Points such as: What makes BPD a legitimate brain disorder, What causes BPD, Clarify the misconceptions of what it is not (such as bipolar disorder), Why does this disorder carry so much stigma, Sufferers include the family members and others close to the BPD sufferer, A list of positive accomplishments.