Monday, October 6, 2014

Mental Illness Awareness Week Webinars Address Key Issues


October 5 to 11 is Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW), and in observance, APA leaders will be participating in two webinars on Wednesday, October 8.

First, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT, APA President Paul Summergrad, M.D., be one of the presenters in a webinar sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, titled “Providing Integrated Care for People With Serious Mental Illness.” Dr. Summergrad and co-speaker Jeremy Lazarus, M.D., past president of the American Medical Association and former APA Assembly speaker, will discuss the importance of addressing the medical needs of people with serious mental illness and strategies for effectively integrating primary and behavioral care.

From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, APA’s CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., will host the webinar “Mental Health in the Mainstream.” Dr. Levin will be joined by four speakers from community organizations to discuss how local communities and national public health groups can work together to create a world where mental health is viewed and treated with the same gravity as physical health. The webinar is sponsored by Screening for Mental Health Inc., on whose Board of Directors Dr. Levin serves.

In addition to MIAW, these educational and public-awareness events also recognize National Depression Screening Day, which is being held this year on Thursday, October 9. The public is urged to take a free, anonymous mental health screening at www.helpyourselfhelpothers.org. Also listed on this site are locations for in-person screenings.

Those interested in participating in the webinar “Providing Integrated Care for People With Serious Mental Illness” can read more and register here.

Those interested in participating in the webinar “Mental Health in the Mainstream” can read more and register here.