SAMHSA Honors Television, Film, Radio

SAMHSA recently honored television, film, and radio writers and producers at the second annual Voice Awards, hosted by Mariel Hemingway, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA. Winners were recognized for creating dignified, respectful, and accurate portrayals of people with mental health problems.

“Because the entertainment field has the capacity to influence how the public views important social issues, it is critical that we acknowledge those who portray issues related to mental health and mental illness accurately,” said Assistant Surgeon General Eric B. Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H., SAMHSA Acting Deputy Administrator.

Winners in the television category were the crime dramas “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC) for the episode “Ripped,” and “Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye” (PAX) for the episode “Mind Games.”

Proof and Jellysmoke won in the film category. In Proof, the daughter of a brilliant mathematician affected by mental illness comes face to face with her fears about her possible predisposition toward mental illness. Jellysmoke explores the adjustment to life outside a psychiatric hospital by a young man with bipolar disorder.

In the radio category, winners included “Morning Edition” (National Public Radio) for “Katrina and Recovery.”

David Hoberman, co-creator and executive producer of “Monk” (USA), received a Career Achievement Award for his years of mental health advocacy. The TV series stars Tony Shaloub as Adrian Monk, a former police detective who is recovering from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In addition, SAMHSA presented Special Recognition Awards to both Ruta Lee and Patty Duke for their long-standing commitment to mental health advocacy.

Five mental health advocates received Consumer Leadership Awards for raising awareness of mental health and expanding understanding that mental health problems exist in every community and affect almost every family in the Nation. A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Carmen Lee, a mental health advocate, and founder and executive director of Stamp Out Stigma, a non-profit organization dedicated to changing public perceptions of people living with mental illnesses.

The Voice Awards are part of the National Anti-Stigma Campaign, a program sponsored by SAMHSA with the Ad Council.

For more information about the Voice Awards, visit SAMHSA’s Web site at www.allmentalhealth.samhsa.gov/voiceawards.

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