Georgia Public Broadcasting Presents:
A Special Afternoon of Programming In Partnership with the Georgia Crisis & Access Line
Sunday, November 9, Beginning at 4 PM
Programming Features Documentaries Depression: Out of the Shadows & Men Get Depression
Georgia Public Broadcasting will present a special afternoon of programming in partnership with the Georgia Crisis & Access Line that focuses on depressive disorders and mental health issues on Sunday, November 9 beginning at 4 PM with Depression: Out of the Shadows. Following the broadcast of Depression: Out of the Shadows, veteran journalist Jane Pauley, who wrote about having a bipolar disorder in her autobiography Skywriting: Out of the Blue, will host a panel discussion with mental health experts to discuss the issues raised in the film. At 6 PM, GPB will air the one-hour documentary Men Get Depression.
GPB is also partnering with the Georgia Crisis & Access Line (GCAL) for the second time to create program outreach around Depression: Out of the Shadows. GPB first worked with GCAL in May of this year to present the programming during Mental Health Month. During the broadcast of the program, GCAL received over 400 phone calls from viewers seeking mental health resources as a result of tuning into GPB for the program.
During the November 9 broadcast, GPB will post the GCAL phone number on the screen throughout the programming so that viewers can call in with questions. GCAL is operated by the Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disability and Addictive Diseases and Behavioral Health Link to provide toll-free access to service location and appointment scheduling, crisis counseling with licensed clinicians, and deployment of emergency services.
"With the stigma that goes with mental illness and depression in our society, even today, it is hard to make that first step to pick up the '400-pound' phone. The Georgia Crisis & Access Line works to make accessibility of care as easy as possible." David Covington, CEO, Behavioral Health Link (Georgia Crisis & Access Line).
Depression:Out of the Shadows tells the dramatic stories of people of different ages, from diverse backgrounds, who live with various forms of clinical depression — and explores its causes and treatments. The film also features several of the nation’s leading mental health experts, who explain current theories about the causes of depression and pharmaceutical and counseling treatments that have proved successful.
Men Get Depression is a one-hour documentary that explores the corrosive effect of depression on the self, relationships and careers through the intimate profiles of real men, including a former NFL quarterback, a Fortune 500 CEO, and Iraq War veteran, a university professor, a pastor and others.
According to statistics from the Georgia Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases, depression is the leading cause of nearly 900 suicides each year in the state. In addition to the special afternoon of programming, GPB is also addressing mental health issues in Georgia by partnering with GCAL and other community organizations in Georgia to raise awareness at different events across the state, including “Out of Darkness Walk” on Nov 3 with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2008 Crisis Intervention Team National Conference, November 4-6, and the 3rd Suicide Prevention Stakeholders Conference hosted by the Georgia Department of Human Resources.
