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On
Wednesday, November 6, Hope for Depression Research
Foundation (HDRF), the leading non-profit dedicated to
advanced depression research, held its 13th Annual
HOPE Luncheon Seminar at The Plaza Hotel. The seminar focused
on “Depression and Anxiety: Diagnosis and Latest Treatments”
with top doctors sharing the latest advances in psychiatry,
including a potential new treatment being developed by the
Foundation’s acclaimed Depression Task Force of brain
researchers.
The
day culminated with multi Grammy Award Winning, singer
songwriter LeAnn Rimes, who made the room of 350
attendees tear up as she shared her story about finally entering
treatment for depression and anxiety.
“A
day after my 30th birthday I checked myself in to
treatment,” said Ms. Rimes, recipient
of the 2019 HOPE Award for Depression Advocacy.
“Honestly, it was the
best birthday gift I could have ever given myself because I
don't know if I would have made it to the next one.”
Master of Ceremonies Chuck Scarborough began the event
with a review of the year’s headlines in mental health,
including the fact that depression and suicide are on the rise,
especially in teens. He shared the shocking statistics that
depression is the leading cause of disability and suicide
worldwide and pointed to the urgency of HDRF’s brain research
into the prevention and treatment of depression.
The keynote speaker, U Penn’s Chair of Psychiatry
Dr. Maria Oquendo,
gave an illuminating medical overview of depression and anxiety,
two complex conditions that are misunderstood but widespread.
Depression affects 18 million people in the U.S.
annually, and anxiety affects over 40 million U.S. adults
annually; many people experience both conditions at the same
time. Dr. Oquendo said that
disrupted circuits in the brain underlie
depressive
symptoms like slow motor movements, rumination
and anxious thoughts, and the inability to feel pleasure.
Doctors can view those disrupted circuits with advanced brain
imaging tools, she said, and this brings better accuracy to
diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Eric Nestler,
Director of the Friedman Institute at Mount Sinai, then gave an
update of the research progress of HDRF’s acclaimed Depression
Task Force, of which he is Chair. Ten of the world’s most
powerful labs have joined forces to accelerate life-saving
discovery, and this fall they will start a clinical trial on a
potential new antidepressant compound that shows promise for
treatment-resistant depression.
HDRF
Founder & Chair
Audrey Gruss
applauded the advances in research, and then discussed how
public awareness of depression is breaking new barriers. She
saluted TV shows like Modern Love and publications like
People Magazine for bringing depression into the open and
making it safe to talk about mental health. This month
People launched a year-long series that will highlight
stories of celebrities and ordinary people who have experienced
depression; many of those profiled have survived suicide.
Gruss also shared the inspiration behind HDRF, stating that the
foundation was started more than 13 years ago in honor of her
mother, Hope, who struggled with depression. She also announced
a new Hope Fragrance line, which will launch at Bergdorf Goodman
on February 3, 2020. The line consists of the original Hope
fragrance as well as two new scents: Hope Sport and Hope Night.
One hundred percent of net proceeds of sales will go to HDRF’s
depression research.
Gruss then introduced the real woman behind the Anne Hathaway
character in the Modern Love series on Amazon: Terri
Cheney. Cheney is an author, attorney, and mental health
advocate who
has written poignantly about navigating career and dating with
bipolar disorder.
“Not in my wildest dreams did I think that being
spectacularly bi-polar would one day bring me to a podium at The
Plaza” said
Cheney to warm laughter in the audience. Cheney is the author
of Manic: A Memoir and her second book, Tell Me Where
It Hurts: A Manual to Modern Madness, is due out next year.
HDRF Executive Director Louisa Benton gave
the crowd a recap of HDRF’s work during the year to raise mental
health awareness and educate the public about the facts of
depression. The Foundation’s Race of Hope is a 5K Walk/Run that
launched in Palm Beach in January, where it raised $300,000; The
Race of Hope also marked its fourth year in Southampton in
August, with 750 participants and raising over a quarter of a
million for research.
Benton also announced HDRF’s newest public
awareness program, Next Generation Mental Health, which
puts science into action by bringing students, teachers and
parents to talk with neuroscientists about healthy brain
development. In 2019, the program focused on the public health
issue of bullying and its impact on the brain. Statistics show
that children who have been bullied have a greater risk of
developing depression later in life.
To
wrap up the day, Audrey Gruss presented the
HOPE Corporate Visionary Award
to Dr.
Husseni Manji and Janssen
Research & Development for their longstanding
commitment to research into complex mood disorders like
depression. In March 2019, the FDA approved Spravato, a new
treatment for severe suicidal depression that was decades in the
making. Janssen Pharmaceuticals championed Spravato and invested
many millions to bring it to market under the leadership of Dr.
Manji, Global Therapeutic Head for Neuroscience at Janssen
Research & Development, LLC.
In
the day’s finale,
Audrey Gruss
presented the HOPE Award for Depression Advocacy to LeAnn
Rimes, who delivered a speech that brought the audience to its
feet in a standing ovation.
“Her
resounding message is that depression and anxiety are serious
health issues that require and deserve professional attention,”
said Gruss. “She spoke up, because she knew to hide would only
perpetuate stigma, and make it harder for people to ask for the
help they need.”
Ms. Rimes took to the stage and spoke straight
from the heart about her journey through anxiety and
depression. She touched on traumatic events in her childhood
with parents who divorced bitterly when she was 14. She spoke
about a lawsuit with her father that lasted throughout her teens
until she was 19. She spoke about the severe public backlash
that occurred when she started her relationship with Eddie
Cibrian her husband of now nine years. At the time both she and
Eddie were married to other people. These stressful life
events, compounded by being in the public eye, took a toll on
her both physically and mentally.
“I
wasn't sleeping, I couldn't get out of bed, which made no sense
to me,” she said, at times fighting back tears. “I was having
debilitating panic attacks where I could not breathe and
honestly, I think I've been holding my breath my entire life.”
The Luncheon Seminar Co-Chairs were Ann Barish,
Natalie du Pont Edmonds, Peter Gregory, Tania
Higgins, Margo Langenberg, Marigay McKee, Kitty
McKnight, Serena McKnight Bowman, Peter S. Paine
III, Vera Serrano, Nancy Silverman, Scott Snyder
and Felicia Taylor.
Additional guests included:
Marigay McKee, Jamee Gregory,
Geoffrey Bradfield,
Janna Bullock, Susan Fales Hill, Sharon Loeb,
Susan Gutfreund,
Karen LeFrak, Ken Sunshine, Jean
Shafiroff, Jay
McInerney, Christine Mack,
Marina Pellechi, Lis
Waterman,
Frederick Andersen, Kim Heirston,
Kristen Krusen, Hilary Geary Ross, Dayssi Kanavos, Ellen
Scarborough, Felicia Taylor, Susan Lloyd, Carol DeLouvrier and
Janel Tanna
ABOUT HOPE FOR DEPRESSION RESEARCH FOUNDATION
HDRF's mission is to fund the most innovative neuroscience
research into the origins, diagnosis, treatment and prevention
of depression and other mood disorders – bipolar disorder,
postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome, anxiety
disorder and suicide.
In
2010, HDRF launched its Depression Task Force – an outstanding
collaboration of ten of the world’s
leading laboratories, at the frontiers of brain science, from different research
institutions across the U.S. and Canada. These scientists have
developed an unprecedented research strategy that integrates the
most advanced knowledge in genetics, epigenetics, molecular
biology, electrophysiology, and brain imaging. To accelerate
breakthrough research, they share ongoing results, in real time,
at the HDRF Data Center. For more information, visit:
www.hopefordepression.org |