Emmy Winning Actress Leads Charge to Pair People Battling Depression With Partners
March 15 2005 - 7:58AM
PR Newswire (US)
Emmy Winning Actress Leads Charge to Pair People Battling
Depression With Partners - Multimedia Program Aims to End the
Loneliness of Depression and Inspire Hope for Recovery -
INDIANAPOLIS, March 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Emmy-award winning
actress Linda Dano steps into the spotlight today to reveal her
personal struggle with depression and announce she will spearhead
Support Partners, a national campaign that encourages a support
team approach to overcoming depression. By pairing people living
with depression with partners, the program aims to foster open
communication and create systems of support that eliminate
isolation and encourage recovery. "Depression can cause feelings of
isolation that are intensified by the stigma associated with mental
illness. As a result, many withdraw from friends and family and do
not seek help," said Amy Niles, president and CEO of the National
Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC), co-sponsor of the program
with Eli Lilly and Company. "While it is vital to seek treatment
from a healthcare professional, finding support is crucial to
becoming well." Support Partners offers a step-by-step approach to
building partnerships between people living with depression and
those who want to help them. Dano, most famous for her role as
"Felicia Gallant" on NBC's Another World, credits her healthcare
professional and friends as key players in helping her learn how to
talk about her illness, and to making her recovery more achievable.
Through her personal experience, she hopes to help others whose
isolation from, or embarrassment about their illness, may be
unnecessarily prolonging or deepening depression's grip on their
lives. "When I started battling depression, it was so much more
than being sad all the time -- I didn't feel like me anymore. I had
no joy in doing things I used to love, like working and spending
time with friends. I had trouble sleeping, and had mysterious pains
in my back that didn't go away," said Dano. "Educating myself and
learning how to tell the people in my life how to be there for me
in a way that was comfortable for all of us, is helping me work my
way back." Depression is a medical illness, like diabetes and heart
disease, which needs to be treated by a healthcare professional.
Despite years of public awareness about depression, many people are
unable to recognize the emotional and physical symptoms that are
the hallmark of the illness. Emotional symptoms can include
sadness, hopelessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating or
loss of interest in activities that once were enjoyable. Physical
symptoms may surface as vague aches and pains, such as back pain,
digestive problems, fatigue or lack of energy, changes in sleep
patterns or appetite. About Support Partners A Support Partner is
someone who is committed to helping a friend or loved one with
depression. He or she provides assistance as needed, builds on the
strengths of the person living with depression, and encourages
actions that allow recovery to happen. Support can be given in many
ways and is based on an individual's needs. Some people may need
their Support Partner to provide a safe haven for discussing the
struggles, triumphs and setbacks of depression, while others may
seek assistance with daily tasks that may be overwhelming at first.
Anyone can be a Support Partner, including family, friends,
co-workers, neighbors and religious/spiritual leaders. Dano refers
to her Support Partners as her "angels," people who encouraged her
and provided comfort in knowing that she is not in this alone. "I
cannot stress enough to those battling depression and those who are
watching someone struggle -- please open the lines of communication
-- support can make a world of difference," she said. Support
Partners Resources The Support Partners program offers the
following guidebooks, which should be shared between a person with
depression and his/her Support Partner. A copy of the guidebooks
can be obtained by visiting http://www.depressionhurts.com/, or by
calling 888-818-7988. * Managing Your Depression - Written for
those battling depression, it contains information on recognizing
the emotional/physical symptoms of depression, how to identify a
Support Partner, tips for getting the conversation started, and
ways to track progress and recovery. * Being a Support Partner -
Tailored to meet the needs of people who want to help someone with
depression, but are either unsure of how to start the conversation
or how to offer help. It provides practical advice and exercises
that will help determine the level of commitment and how to provide
assistance. * Shared Guidebook - Can be reviewed together by both
the person living with depression and his/her Support Partner.
Because each person experiences the illness differently, this guide
captures important personal information and provides a simple
approach to mapping out a wellness plan, which can define treatment
and recovery goals in partnership with your healthcare
professional. About Depression Nearly 19 million Americans suffer
from depression.(i) It can happen to anyone of any age, race or
ethnic group, however women are nearly twice as likely to
experience depression as men.(ii) Although it is one of the most
frequently seen psychiatric disorders in the primary care setting,
it often goes undiagnosed or is under-treated.(iii) This may be
because depressed patients often present physical symptoms rather
than emotional complaints. In one study, nearly 70 percent of
patients diagnosed with depression reported physical symptoms as
their chief reason for seeking help.(iv) The goal of treatment is
to help people with depression feel more like themselves, so they
can move forward with their lives. Depression symptoms that don't
go away completely can prevent people with depression from getting
fully well, and may increase the risk of symptoms coming back.
Nobody should settle for feeling only slightly better. With the
right treatment and support, recovering from depression is
possible. About Linda Dano Emmy-award winning actress, talk-show
host, designer and author, Linda Dano has built a career that spans
more than 30 years, but is, perhaps, best known for her memorable
roles in daytime television on Another World, All My Children, One
Life to Live and General Hospital. Ms. Dano has also enjoyed a
diverse career working in Hollywood in primetime television and
film, as host of Lifetime Television's Attitudes and Lifetime NOW!,
and as President of Strictly Personal, a fashion consulting
business that created the Linda Dano line of fashion accessories
for QVC. She will soon be seen in a limited run on CBS' Guiding
Light and in the title role of MAME, her first musical theater
project opening in June 2005. About the National Women's Health
Resource Center The National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC)
is the nation's leading independent, nonprofit health information
source for women. NWHRC addresses a broad range of women's health
concerns and issues and develops comprehensive and objective health
information based on the latest advances in health research. NWHRC
focuses on disease prevention and wellness, and connects women with
reliable health information sources. Its programs include the
development of national health campaigns, its bimonthly newsletter,
The National Women's Health Report, development and distribution of
consumer educational materials, and its Web site,
http://www.healthywomen.org/. About Lilly Lilly, a leading
innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of
first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by
applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories
and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations.
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers --
through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most
urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is
available at http://www.lilly.com/. P-LLY (i) National Institute of
Mental Health. Depression Research at the National Institute of
Mental Health: Fact Sheet. Available at
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depresfact.cfm. Accessed May 12,
2004. (ii) American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed., Text Revision.
Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2000:345-428.
(iii) Kroenke K, et al. Am J Med. 1997; 103(5):339-347. (iv) Simon
GE, et al. N Engl J Med. 1999; 341(18):1329-1335. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050315/SPLOGO )
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050315/SPLOGO DATASOURCE: Eli
Lilly and Company CONTACT: Beverly Dame, Communications Director of
the National Women's Health Resource Center, +1-888-406-9472 voice,
; or Carole Witsken Puls, Global Product Communications of Eli
Lilly and Company, +1-317-277-1421 voice, +1-888-431-8355 pager,
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