Like the national emergency number 9-1-1, the US now has a new National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number: 9-8-8. The Foundation says it is for anyone experiencing any acute mental health crisis, whether that be suicidal thoughts, a substance abuse problem, or any needed emotional support. The lifeline can be used by family and loved ones to call for help with someone they know how is having a crisis.

Dial 988 for the National Suicide Prevention LifelineDial 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, MP3, 1.2MB

You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.

Deepak Prabhakar, M.D. will be awarded the 2022 Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry (MFP) Anti-Stigma Advocacy Prize for his Op-Ed column, “Biles is leading a new generation of athletes who prioritize mental health,” which was published in the August 2, 2021 print issue of The Baltimore Sun.  The MFP board of directors felt that it very effectively expressed important ideas such as that the best athletes with “steely” inner strength can nevertheless be vulnerable to mental ill-ness, that people should not feel ashamed to seek treatment when needed, and that everybody should routinely check on friends and family to make sure they are okay, and encourage them to seek professional help when needed.

The Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award carries a $500 prize and will be formally presented at the Maryland Psychiatric Society annual meeting on April 28.

The Foundation established this annual prize for a worthy media piece, preferably local or regional, that accomplishes one or more of the following:

• Shares with the public their experience with mental illness in themselves, a family member, or simply in the community.
• Helps others to overcome their inability to talk about mental illness or their own mental illness.
• Imparts particularly insightful observations on the general subject of mental illness.

Click here for information about past winners.

They say every dark cloud has a silver lining. Though the COVID pandemic has had many devastating impacts, there have been some positive consequences for mental health care.This PSA looks at the growth of TeleHealth to make and attend appointments online from the comfort of their own rooms. Unprecedented government funding for mental health was also mobilized. Listen to hear more developments.

Positive Consequences From the Pandemic For Mental Health CarePositive Consequences From the Pandemic For Mental Health Care, MP3, 1.2MB

You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.

The COVID pandemic has highlighted racial disparities in health and healthcare. Suicide has mistakenly been seen as a problem primarily for white people, but now upward trends have been seen among black people, particular black adolescent girls. This new PSA from the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, Inc. examines the reasons for this and calls for further research.

Racial Disparities Seen in Suicide StudiesRacial Disparities Seen in Suicide Studies, MP3, 1.4MB

You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.

The annual Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry (MFP) Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award recognizes a worthy piece published in a major newspaper that accomplishes one or more of the following:

• Shares with the public their experience with mental illness in themselves, a family member, or simply in the community.
• Helps others to overcome their inability to talk about mental illness or their own mental illness.
• Imparts particularly insightful observations on the general subject of mental illness.

A Maryland author and/or newspaper is preferred.  Click here for past winners and published articles.

The award carries a $500 prize, which is given at the Maryland Psychiatric Society annual meeting in April.  To nominate a piece to be considered for the 2022 award, email it to mfp@mdpsych.org no later than January 10, 2022.  The article should be published during the period from January 15, 2021 to January 10, 2022.

As the pandemic improves and restrictions and shutdowns are lifted, many people may be experiencing anxiety at returning to the world and being amongst people. This new PSA from the Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, Inc. examines fears people may have as they try to navigate uncertainty about going outside as well as deal with conflicting messages about how to stay safe and healthy.

Post-Pandemic AnxietyPost Pandemic Anxiety, MP3, 1.3MB

You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.

Congressman Jamie Raskin and Sarah Bloom Raskin were awarded the Foundation’s 2021 Anti-Stigma Advocacy Prize for the tribute about their son, Tommy, posted on January 4, 2021. The MFP board of directors felt that it was very effective in conveying what a wonderful and gifted person their son was, that depression did not detract from this, and how painful and sad his loss and the loss of others suffering from depression can be. The board also greatly admired their courage in writing about him in such a forthright manner. The Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award was formally presented at the Maryland Psychiatric Society annual meeting on April 22.

The Foundation established this annual prize for a worthy media piece, preferably local or regional, that accomplishes one or more of the following:

• Shares with the public their experience with mental illness in themselves, a family member, or simply in the community.
• Helps others to overcome their inability to talk about mental illness or their own mental illness.
• Imparts particularly insightful observations on the general subject of mental illness.

Click here for information about past winners.

Psychiatrists aren’t necessarily on the front lines treating COVID patients in a hospital, so should they take or not take a COVID vaccine? In this new ad from The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry, Inc., one psychiatrist goes trough his thoughts as he decided whether to take it. He examines the science, the risks, possible complications, and what his decision means to his patients as well as to mental health in general.

COVID Vaccination — Why You Should Take ItCOVID Vaccination — Why You Should Take It , MP3, 1.3MB

You can listen to the ad using the player in the upper right of the website’s homepage. All past public service spots are also available for listening or to download on our Radio Advertisements page.

As this election cycle nears election day, there is no guarantee we will know the results very soon. A combination of many factors, including a pandemic that brings its own anxiety and has seen record numbers use absentee voting and early voting to avoid crowds on election day, could cause delays in vote counts and that can add to the stress and anxiety of many people. We are featuring our PSA from 2017 which examines the wide variety of feelings people experience after a particularly divisive political campaign and things that can be done to help, ranging from breaks from Facebook and Twitter and similar sites to seeking actual help from professionals.

Listen to the PSA on our home page or on our PSA collection here, where you can listen to or download other advice given in past PSAs, also.

Janice Lynch Schuster will be awarded the 2020 Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry (MFP) Anti-Stigma Advocacy Prize for her op-ed, “People are not defined by their diseases” in the October 14, 2019 Baltimore Sun. The MFP Board unanimously felt that her article very effectively portrayed not only how hurtful stigma can be, but that health care providers themselves may be the culprits thoughtlessly participating in stigmatizing people – particularly when people are abusing drugs. Her statement inspires others to seek and give help, and to reframe substance abuse as a disease that must be treated scientifically and empathically.

The Anti-Stigma Advocacy Award, which carries a $500 prize, will be formally presented at the Maryland Psychiatric Society annual meeting on October 8.

The Foundation established this annual prize for a worthy piece published in a major newspaper (preferably local or regional) that accomplishes one or more of the following:
Shares with the public their experience with mental illness in themselves, a family
member, or simply in the community.
Helps others to overcome their inability to talk about mental illness or their own mental
illness.
Imparts particularly insightful observations on the general subject of mental illness.

Click here for information about past winners.