The screenings are part of a program featuring Stuart Perry, a mental health consumer with an story to tell about his successful recovery from clinical depression. Perry, who lives in Americus, Georgia, will pause in a 1,000-mile walk to Chicago, Illinois to urge listeners to work to end the stigma that surrounds depression and other mental illnesses.
Referrals are available to local mental health professionals as needed.
Clinical depression is a common, yet serious medical illness that affects more than 19 million Americans each year. Only one-third of the people who have it seek treatment even though it can be effectively treated in 80 percent of all cases. Nashville visit is part of Journey for Life, a public education effort of the National Mental Health Association. While in Chicago, Perry will present signed petitions collected on his walk to the American Medical Association. The petitions are a public plea for routine screenings and treatment for depression.