Public Service Campaign Takes on Attitudes Trivializing Depression

WASHINGTON, May. 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- Bilingual PSAs Compare Depression to Other Life-Threatening Diseases -

WASHINGTON, May 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In its latest effort to help Americans understand the seriousness of depression and the importance of seeking treatment, the Depression Is Real Coalition today distributed a groundbreaking series of PSAs titled, "It Is Depression" to media outlets nationwide. Spoken from the perspective of experts on the front lines of depression treatment, the PSAs urge the public to recognize that depression is a biological disease that can be as debilitating as other major illnesses like cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

One print advertisement from the campaign poses a provocative question that illustrates popular misconceptions about depression: "You'd never say, 'It's just cancer, get over it.' So why do some say that about depression?" The words appear to be written in chalk on a school blackboard.

"What people may not understand is that depression is not just a matter of being in a bad mood, or something that's in a person's mind. It's just like any other biologically-based disease. It has symptoms. It can be disabling, and even fatal," said David Shern, PhD, President and CEO of Coalition member organization Mental Health America. "In fact, depression is a condition that commonly co-occurs with chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease."

With the new campaign, the Depression Is Real Coalition continues its effort to educate the Spanish-speaking community about depression. "It is Depression" PSAs are available in both Spanish and English, and are supported by the Coalition's depressionisreal.org Web site, which also is available in Spanish. "Only about 1 in 11 Latino-Americans who have depression seek professional help," said Rosa Rosales, National President of the League of United Latin American Citizens. "We believe this powerful campaign will help change this staggering statistic."

The "It Is Depression" PSAs make up the Coalition's second bilingual, multi-media campaign about the reality of living with depression and the seriousness of the disease. The new PSAs, which will begin airing nationwide in early June, are available in television, radio and print versions. High-resolution copies can be downloaded at >.

The new PSAs are an evolution of the Coalition's first "Elevator" campaign, which was released in September 2006 and took the issue of stigma and misperceptions around depression head on. To date, the "Elevator" campaign has generated more than 1.26 billion print and broadcast impressions. The Coalition also sponsors a weekly podcast, "The Down & Up Show on depressionisreal.org," which features experts and people with depression.

Dr. Rahn Bailey, a psychiatrist and Vice Speaker of the National Medical Association, another member of the Depression Is Real Coalition explained, "If more people living with depression realized that it's a serious, medical disease they'd be more inclined to seek help. We hope that through these PSAs people will hear the message, that depression is a life-threatening disease, but that there is hope - because depression can be treated."

The Depression Is Real public education campaign is sponsored by The American Psychiatric Foundation (a philanthropic and educational subsidiary of the American Psychiatric Association), the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, the League of United Latin American Citizens, Mental Health America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Medical Association, the National Urban League and is made possible through the support of Wyeth.

For more information about depression and the coalition members, and to see elements of the Depression Is Real public education campaign, visit www.depressionisreal.org.

Additional Commentary from the Coalition Members

"Depression is not just a matter of being in a bad mood, or something that's in a person's mind. 15 million Americans live with this very real disease every day. The Depression Is Real Coalition's goal is to reduce misperceptions and how Americans view depression," said Richard K. Harding, MD, President of the American Psychiatric Foundation.

"We are confident that through these PSAs people will begin to hear the important message - that while depression is a serious, life-threatening disease, there is hope, because depression can be treated and recovery is possible," said Sue Bergeson, President of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.

"This campaign is a good step forward in getting depression the attention it needs and deserves. The PSAs will align depression with other high-profile life-threatening diseases," said Michael Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

"The stigma of depression in the African American community can be debilitating. Depression is often viewed as a personal weakness, or something you need to overcome, versus a medical disease," said Dr. Gina Villani, Vice President of Health of the National Urban League. "These PSAs carry a very important message to underserved populations in urban areas."

ABOUT THE DEPRESSION IS REAL COALITION MEMBERS

The American Psychiatric Foundation is a philanthropic and educational arm of the American Psychiatric Association, the world's leading psychiatric organization. The mission of the foundation is to advance understanding that mental illnesses are real and can be effectively treated.

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance is the nation's leading patient-directed organization focusing on depression and bipolar disorder. The organization, which has more than 1,000 support groups nationwide, fosters an understanding about the impact and management of these life-threatening illnesses by providing up-to-date, scientifically-based tools and information. Assisted by a 65-member scientific advisory board, comprised of the leading researchers and clinicians in the field of mood disorders, DBSA supports research to promote more timely diagnosis, develop more effective and tolerable treatments and discover a cure. More than 4 million receive information and assistance each year.

The League of the United Latin American Citizens is the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States. It advances the economic conditions, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI has over 1,100 affiliates in communities across the country who engage in advocacy, research, support, and education. Members of NAMI are families, friends, and people living with mental illnesses such as major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder.

The National Medical Association is the nation's oldest and largest organization representing the interest of more than 30,000 physicians of African descent.

Mental Health America is the country's oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. With more than 340 affiliates nationwide, MHA works to improve the mental health of all Americans through advocacy, education, research and service.

Established in 1910, the National Urban League is the nation's oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream. Today, the National Urban League, headquartered in New York City, spearheads the non-partisan efforts of its local affiliates. There are over 100 local affiliates of the National Urban League located in 35 states and the District of Columbia providing direct services to more than 2 million people nationwide through programs, advocacy and research.