In Honor of Mental Health Month, Glenn Close and Bring Change 2 Mind Announce Formation of an International Advisory Counc

Close, Family and Council to Participate in the 5th International Stigma Conference

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Having reached over 500 million households since the 2009 launch of its national anti-stigma campaign, Bring Change 2 Mind kicks off National Mental Health Awareness month with a new, crucial phase: the formation and announcement of an international Advisory Council. Comprised of experts in the fields of stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness, the distinguished physicians and scientists of the Advisory Council will lend their insight and expertise to the launch of new aspects of the ongoing campaign.

Members of Bring Change 2 Mind's Board of Directors will be joining members of their Advisory Council at the 5th International Stigma Conference this June in Ottawa, Canada. Additionally, Glenn Close, her sister Jessie, and nephew Calen Pick will give the opening address of the conference, Together Against Stigma: Changing How We See Mental Illness.

“Our very first initiative at Bring Change 2 Mind, a Public Service Announcement, was a great success in heightening awareness and promoting dialogue around mental illness. As we delve even further into tackling the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness we look forward to a dynamic collaboration with our distinguished advisors,” remarked Bring Change 2 Mind’s Executive Director, Pamela Harrington.

Members of the Advisory Council are: Bernice Pescosolido, Ph.D. and BC2M Advisory Council Chair, Margarita Alegria, Ph.D., Thomas Bornemann, Ed.D., Patrick Corrigan, PsyD, Sara Hickmann, Ph.D., Stephen Hinshaw, Ph.D., Rebecca G. Palpant, M.S., Elyn Saks, Ph.D., J.D., Norman Sartorius, MD, Ph.D., David Satcher, MD, Ph.D., Heather Stuart, Ph.D. and Graham Thornicroft, Ph.D.

About Bring Change 2 Mind:

In 2009 Ms. Close participated in the launch of Bring Change 2 Mind (www.bringchange2mind.org) a not-for-profit organization dedicated to confronting the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. Bring Change 2 Mind was created by Ms. Close together with Fountain House, IMHRO (International Mental Health Research Organization) and The Balanced Mind Foundation, and has the support of the major mental health organizations in this country. The idea for this movement grew from Ms. Close having experienced how stigma affected her younger sister, Jessie, who has bipolar disorder and Jessie's eldest son, Calen, who was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in 1999.

“That there is mental illness in my family puts us squarely at the heart of the global human family. I am honored to be a part of this year's International Stigma Conference and am thrilled to also be celebrating the formation of Bring Change 2 Mind's distinguished Advisory Council, who will aid us in translating the science of stigma and discrimination into powerful, informed messaging. One in four Americans has a mental illness ... a treatable mental illness. And one of the biggest obstacles in their receiving the treatment they need to live full, productive lives - is stigma,” said Ms. Close.

Bring Change 2 Mind's mission is to emerge as one of the world's most effective organizations working to eradicate the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness through public education campaigns using messaging based on the latest scientific insights and then measured for effectiveness. Bring Change 2 Mind acts as a portal to a broad coalition of organizations that provide service, screening, information, support and treatment of mental illness.

The 5th International Stigma Conference, Together Against Stigma is being presented under the auspices of the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Stigma and Mental Disorders Section of the World Psychiatric Association.

About Bring Change 2 Mind Advisory Council Members:

Bernice Pescosolido, Ph.D., BC2M Advisory Council Chair
Dr. Pescosolido is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Indiana University and Director of the Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services Research.

Margarita Alegria, Ph.D.
Dr. Alegría is the Director of the Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research (CMMHR) at Cambridge Health Alliance, and a full professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Thomas H. Bornemann, Ed.D.
Dr. Bornemann is the director of the Carter Center's Mental Health Program.

Patrick Corrigan, PsyD
Dr. Corrigan is Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Sara Hickmann, Ph.D.
Dr. Hickmann is the Clinical and Sport Psychologist on the medical staff of the New York Jets Football and the New Jersey Nets Basketball Teams.

Stephen Hinshaw, Ph.D.
Dr. Hinshaw is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as Department Chair from 2004-2011, and is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Francisco.

Rebecca G. Palpant, M.S.
Dr. Palpant is assistant director for The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism of the Carter Center Mental Health Program.

Elyn Saks, Ph.D., J.D.
Dr. Saks is the Orrin B. Evans Professor of Law, Psychology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at USC Gould School of Law.

Norman Sartorius, MD, Ph.D., FRC Psych
Dr. Sartorius was the first Director of the Division of Mental Health of WHO, served as the President of the World Psychiatric Association and President of the Association of European Psychiatrists and is currently President of the Association for the Improvement of Mental Health.

David Satcher, MD, Ph.D.
Dr. Satcher is director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine and served as the 16th Surgeon General of the United States.

Heather Stuart, Ph.D.
Dr. Stuart is a Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, with cross appointments to the Department of Psychiatry and the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queens University, Ottawa.

Graham Thornicroft, Ph.D.
Dr. Thornicroft is Professor of Community Psychiatry, Head of the Health Service Research Department at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, London.



CONTACT:

Bring Change 2 Mind
Pamela Harrington, 415-814-8845
[email protected]
or
for Glenn Close
Catherine Olim, 310-289-6200
[email protected]

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