Shields, Codey, & Aetna Take a Bow (plus, Lincoln comes out of the closet)
At its annual conference last week, the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) honored actress Brooke Shields and Mary Jo Codey, former First Lady of New Jersey, for their efforts to raise awareness, increase access to care, and banish stigma about postpartum depression (PPD).
Each woman received NMHA's inagural forWARD tribute of appreciation for speaking out publicly about her personal experience of mental illness. They also presented Shields with the William Styron Award, named after Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Styron (Sophie's Choice), who battled depression throughout his life.
Just in case you've been under a rock for the past two years, Shields wrote a book about her personal experience with PPD, Down Came the Rain. She then went on to represent the face and voice of mothers by withstanding public criticism from the likes of Hollywood juggernaut and Scientologist Tom Cruise.
I've gotta applaud the NMHA's choice of these two women for prominent honors this year - The impact a high-profile woman can have on millions of expectant and new mothers when she tells the truth of her experience is staggering! And incorporating the awards program into their biggest annual membership event helps ensure that PPD and other perinatal mood disorders are on the radar of professionals in the mental health care and public policy fields!
Also of interest: NMHA honord Aetna for its groundbreaking depression management program, which was prompted in part by employers who recognize depression as a frequent cause of absenteeism and low productivity. Aetna is now covering depression managmeent programs in several dozen medical offices around the U.S. The Aetna Depression Management Program provides clinical tools for physicians, training for office staff, access to Aetna nurse case managers, and support from Aetna's behavioral health specialists. This program has upped reimbursement for physicians who actively screen and talk with patients to diagnose depression - an approach provides physicians with the tools to diagnose and treat depression in the primary care setting, which leads to better overall care. (Sad but true: Research suggests that only half of the millions of Americans affected by depression each year seek help.)
Also of interest, another famous name on the "Who's Who" of brilliant Americans who have suffered from mental illness: NMHA reocnigzed author Joshua Wolf Shenk, author of the new book Lincoln's Melancholy, chronicles President Lincoln's lifelong struggle with depression and how he used his own experience to lead his country through a painful period of history.