Programs

Mental Health Media Partnership
Youth Outreach Program

Past Programs:
Roundtable Discussions on Stigma and Aging
MTV and Channel One Partnership
Town Hall Meetings Post 9/11
2002 Awareness Awards

Mental Health Media Partnership:
This program was originally a joint venture of the USC Annenberg School for Communication, the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center, the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign and the entertainment industry. It continues to serve as an informational bridge between experts in mental health and the entertainment industry to promote accuracy, awareness and understanding of mental health issues. The MHMP partners with SAMHSA, and multiple other mental health organizations in sponsoring the Voice Awards, an annual gala event held in Los Angeles for the entertainment industry, which recognizes the best non-stigmatizing depictions of mental disorders in television and film.

The MHMP has partnered with the Writers Guild of America to sponsor mental health-related events; supplied the Writers Guild web site with pertinent mental health information; hosted screenings with studios and discussions of films dealing with psychiatric issues; consulted with prime time major network television programs in the creation and execution of mental health storylines; worked with Univision Network to launch the mental health portion of its "Enteraté" initiative; and provided technical consultation to numerous screenwriters and other entertainment professionals. Among its other projects, the MHMP worked with an Emmy Award-winning writer in the development of, Sleepwalk, a play dealing with mental health issues for high school students.

Youth Outreach Program:
The NMHAC and Director of Youth Outreach, Ross Szabo, in concert with numerous high school and college communities nationwide, as well as dozens of youth-focused and mental health organizations, is aiming to educate and involve millions of young people in abolishing the stigma associated with mental health issues. By further developing our Campaign's Speakers' Bureau The Heard, we hope to engage, inform and educate young people through direct outreach. Our goal is to provide a positive mental health message which will increase help-seeking behavior and knowledge about these issues while also decreasing adolescent suicide, substance abuse, and destructive decisions.

Past Programs:

Roundtable Discussions on Stigma and Aging:
In partnership with the Geriatric Mental Health Foundation (American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry) the NMHAC coordinated two roundtable discussions about stigma as it pertains to older adults. Sponsored by the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), these roundtables brought together leading experts in the fields of aging and mental health to evaluate the best solutions to the dual stigma and discrimination faced by seniors. The roundtables, convened in both Washington DC and Los Angeles, culminated in an action plan for reaching out to seniors and eliminating obstacle that prevent them from accessing treatment.

MTV and Channel One Partnership:
Through our partnership with MTV in 2001 we developed "Change Your Mind" public service announcements, brochures, suicide warning cards and other materials. We used the band, Sister Hazel's song, "Change Your Mind," for our media outreach and recorded a Radio PSA. MTV created and produced our PSA commercials that were shown on MTV, VHI, ESPN, ABC, FOX and many other networks. We also partnered with Channel One who continues to air our "Change Your Mind" public service spots in high schools and middle schools across America.

Town Hall Meetings Post 9/11:
NMHAC partnered with local community mental health professionals, police officers, firefighters, nurses, school officials, flight attendants and members of the community to host, "Healing the American Spirit; A Town Hall Meeting," which focused on the mental health issues surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America. Town Hall Meetings were hosted by Tipper Gore in Washington DC and New York City. Former Surgeon General David Satcher also took part in the meetings. NMHAC used the Town Hall Meetings to listen to personal stories and educate members of the community and country on warning signs of mental disorders, as well as what they could do for loved ones dealing with loss or mental disorders stemming from the attacks.

2002 Awareness Awards:
On January 30, 2002 NMHAC awarded Producer Brian Grazer and Director Ron Howard Awareness Awards for their work on A Beautiful Mind. The Universal Pictures-DreamWorks Pictures-Imagine Entertainment production, starring Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly, was inspired by the life of John Forbes Nash, Jr., the mathematical genius who battled schizophrenia and eventually went on to win the Nobel Prize. Akiva Goldsman based his screenplay in part on the biography A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar. The event was hosted by Jack Valenti, former CEO of the Motion Pictures Association of America in Washington D.C.

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