FOR IMMEDIATE MEDIA RELEASE
Monday, January 11, 2010

Depression is one of the most common and debilitating of illnesses affecting about 18-million Americans each year.  It’s estimated one in six Americans will experience an episode of major depression in his or her lifetime.  The condition knows no boundaries, affecting all ages, races, ethnicities and professions. And yet doctors estimate that at least half of those with depression never seek treatment, primarily because of the stigma associated with mental illness.

From Thursday, January 7 through Monday, January 18, ideastream presents “Facing Depression,” a series of radio reports on 90.3 WCPN, television programs on WVIZ/PBS as well as online content available at health.ideastream.org. This multi-media project is designed to tell the stories of people affected by depression and to offer help, hope and resources on this serious disorder that can be chronic and lethal. “Facing Depression” is the fourth in a series of multi-media health specials on chronic disease and illness produced by ideastream.

Highlights of the “Facing Depression” project include: hour-long radio programs on a variety of depression-related subjects airing as part of “The Sound of Ideas®” on 90.3 WCPN; a stand-alone WVIZ/PBS television program called “Facing Depression;” and special segments airing on the weekly WVIZ/PBS productions of “Applause” and “Feagler & Friends.” Also, local in-depth radio reports will air daily during 90.3 WCPN’s weekday broadcast of “Morning Edition” from 6 a.m. – 9 a.m.; two additional television programs on the subject are scheduled; and online resources will be available at health.ideastream.org.

The Plain Dealer, in collaboration with ideastream, will provide special coverage on the subject on Tuesday, January 12.

WATCH – LISTEN – CONNECT

WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPN will present several locally-produced programs as part of the “Facing Depression” initiative.

The centerpiece of the television coverage on depression is the WVIZ/PBS-produced “Facing Depression” special airing on Thursday, January 14 at 8 p.m.

“Facing Depression” tells the human story of depression where victims can be overwhelmed by feelings of loneliness, lethargy, hopelessness, indecision and irritability.  Viewers meet Northeast Ohioans who deal with depression every day: a community activist thrown into a deep depression after being in a train wreck, a couple who lost a child to suicide, and a lawyer struggling with the stigma of depression. Their stories, along with information from doctors and researchers, are the focus of the program, hosted by ideastream’s Rick Jackson.  Experts on the program include: Dr. Toni L. Johnson, Interim Chair and Residency Director, Department of Psychiatry, MetroHealth Medical Center; Dr. Robert Findling, Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospitals Case Medical Center; Dr. Richard Hill, Chief Medical Officer, Recovery Resources; Dr. Donald Malone, Psychiatrist, Cleveland Clinic; and Dr. Michael McKee, Psychologist, Cleveland Clinic. (Repeats 1/17 at 3 p.m.)

Other programs produced by WVIZ/PBS and airing as part of the Depression Health initiative include:
Applause, Thursday, January 7 at 7:30 p.m. where host Dee Perry examines the intersections of art and depression. (Repeats 1/9 at 6:30 p.m., 1/10 at 12:30 p.m.; 1/12 at 1 p.m.)

Feagler & Friends, Friday, January 8 at 8:30 p.m Host Dick Feagler talks with Dr. Toni Johnson, a psychiatrist from MetroHealth Medical Center about depression.  (Repeats 1/10 at 11:30 a.m.)

On 90.3 WCPN, a variety of programs and reports on the subject will air, including two, hour-long programs on various aspects of the disease airing during the station’s The Sound of Ideas® programs.

● Monday, January 11: Depression 101: Experts join host Dan Moulthrop to discuss what depression is, what causes it, and its treatments, including the dominance of drug therapy and the decline of “talk therapy.” Phone lines will be open for questions and comments from listeners.

● Friday, January 18: Bipolar Disorder: This hour looks at what it’s like to live with someone who has this form of depression, a combination of extreme highs and lows in mood change, and how friends and family can best cope with the stress this disorder brings into relationships.

Morning Edition reports:  Weekdays, 6-9 a.m. Friday, January 8 – Monday, January 18, including:

● Monday, January 11: ideastream’s Gretchen Cuda reports on the history of psychiatric drugs and how they have changed the way depression is treated. Expert interviews include: Dr. Donald Malone, Psychiatrist, Cleveland Clinic; and Dr. Michael McKee, Psychologist, Cleveland Clinic.

● Tuesday, January 12:  Why are women more often diagnosed with depression than men? Gretchen Cuda and experts Dr. Adele Viguera, Associate Director of the Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry Program, Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Michael McKee, Psychologist, Cleveland Clinic look for the explanation behind the numbers.

● Thursday, January 14: Depression can be particularly deadly for teens, with suicide being the third leading cause of death in that age group.  ideastream’s Kathryn Baker reports on how to recognize depression in teens and the difference between clinical depression and normal changes in teen behavior. Dr. Robert Findling, Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Dr. Donald Malone, Psychiatrist, Cleveland Clinic are interviewed.

● Friday, January 15: Researchers are finding that patients who suffer from depression are more at risk for heart disease. ideastream health reporter Gretchen Cuda and guests Dr. Donald Malone, Psychiatrist, Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Mark Penn, Director of Bakken Heart-Brain Institute, Cleveland Clinic explain why and how the biology of the brain can affect the heart.

● Monday, January 18: ideastream’s Kathryn Baker reports on the challenges patients with depression encounter in accessing the health care system. One mother shares her experience of seeking care for her son, and Dr. Robert Findling, Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospitals Case Medical Center talks about access to care issues.

ideastream’s multi-media coverage on depression also includes resources online at health.ideastream.org.  The online coverage includes:
• Share your own story –- Have you been touched by depression?
• Read the stories of those who have faced depression
• Listen and view on-demand:
o Hear in-depth reports on the many facets of this disease
o View the television broadcast of “Facing Depression”
o Find multiple resource links for additional research and information

Rounding out the coverage are two nationally-distributed television programs airing on WVIZ/PBS.  They are:
● Healthy Minds: Mike Wallace: Depression, Thursday, January 14 at 8:30 p.m.
Veteran newsman Mike Wallace and his wife Mary invite host Dr. Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, CEO and medical director of Holliswood Hospital (Queens, NY), to their home for a revealing conversation about his depression, suicide attempt, treatment, and ultimate recovery from depression. (Repeats 1/17 at 3:30 p.m.)

● Depression: Out of the Shadows, Thursday, January 14 at 9 p.m.This documentary 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. Following the broadcast of the documentary, veteran journalist Jane Pauley hosts a panel discussion with mental health experts to discuss the issues raised in the film.

Funding for “Facing Depression” comes from the Dr. Donald J. Goodman and Ruth Weber Goodman Philanthropic Fund of The Cleveland Foundation, The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, The McGregor Foundation, The Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation, Saint Luke’s Foundation and Woodruff Foundation.