“Silver Linings Playbook” Opens a Conversation About Removing the Stigma of Mental Illness
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Washington, D.C. — Today at 9:30 a.m. Bradley Cooper, star of “Silver Linings Playbook,” an Oscar-nominated film about a man living with bipolar disorder, will join Sen. Debbie Stabenow and former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy for a press conference at the Center for American Progress to discuss how this recent film is making progress toward removing the stigma of mental illness. Cooper and Kennedy will be joined by Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, president and founder of Give an Hour, a nonprofit organization providing free mental health services to U.S. military and their families affected by Iraq and Afghanistan, Andrew Sperling director of federal legislative advocacy for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in addition to Topher Spiro and Tara McGuinness of the Center for American Progress.
“Silver Linings Playbook” is a film that touches on the serious subject of mental illness in a very real-life, relatable way. At its core it is an honest and loving portrayal of someone living with a mental illness and what life is like for them and their loved ones. In America toda, approximately 5.7 million American adults are affected by bipolar disorder. In fact, many of the film’s creators have personal experience with mental illness, which contributes to the film’s realness—Matthew Quick, the author of Silver Linings Playbook, the novel upon which the film is based, struggles with depression, and David O. Russell, the film’s director, has raised a son living with mental illness. As Russell said, because of “Silver Linings Playbook,” his son now knows that “he is part of this world.”
WHO:
- Bradley Cooper, Actor
- Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)
- Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
- Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, President and Founder, Give an Hour
- Andrew Sperling, Director of Federal Legislative Advocacy for the National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Topher Spiro, Director of Health Policy, Center for American Progress
- Tara McGuinness, Senior Vice President for Communications at the Center for American Progress
WHEN:
TODAY, Friday, February 1, 2013, at 9:30 a.m.
WHERE:
Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
RSVP:
This event is only open to press.
RSVP is required. Click here to confirm your attendance.
For additional information, contact Katie Peters at [email protected] or 202.741.6285.
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