Charlotte, NC –“Through My Eyes” received a national film and television award and continues to break ground in educating youth and families about mental illness.

“Through My Eyes” has won a SAMHSA Voice Award, which honors writers and producers of entertainment programming in television and film who incorporate dignified, respectful, and accurate portrayals of individuals with mental health issues into film and television productions. The highest ratings are reserved for those productions that emphasize the positive journey of recovery from mental health concerns. Other winners include writers and producers from the shows “Scrubs,” “Monk,” “E.R.,” and “Law and Order,” among others. May is Mental Health Month, and “Through My Eyes” will be recognized on May 28 at a special red-carpet Voice Awards event in Hollywood, CA.

“Through My Eyes” is a documentary film produced in a community partnership among the Mecklenburg County Area Mental Health Authority, the Health Department, MeckCARES, the Junior League of Charlotte and WTVI. It is intended to educate teens and families about mental health issues. “Through My Eyes” aired on WTVI, was screened during various community panel discussions and continues to be used as an educational tool in training youth and adults about the signs, symptoms and resources related to mental illness. In fall 2008, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will introduce a mental health curriculum to be presented with the film to ninth-grade health classes.

"Through My Eyes" features Mecklenburg County teens and their families sharing their own emotional and mental health challenges, and how they are able to draw on their successes to overcome these challenges. The film also aims to stamp out stigma, raise awareness and improve community-wide support for youth who struggle with various challenges. Those challenges could range from anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, ADD, ADHD and others.

A report by the Centers for Disease Control found that about 13 percent of youth in Charlotte-Mecklenburg attempted suicide last year. That's one out of every eight. The CDC report and recent news accounts demonstrate the need to explore these community problems and work from a position of strength - that is, show how many teens are identifying their strengths, managing their mental health concerns, and thriving in the community.

Throughout the process of seeking and interviewing participants in this project, producers Joseph Travis and Gary Black from the Mecklenburg County Health Department along with local producer Linda Midgett were surprised at the depth of stigma that still surrounds emotional and mental health challenges. “It’s striking how hidden these problems still are and how painful it is for families to talk about, and it made me even more motivated to work on this is as it is so needed right now," says Midgett. Midgett was most recently co-executive producer of NBC’s “Starting Over,” which has received six national Daytime Emmy nominations, and is the winner of two Daytime Emmys. She was also instrumental in creating and supervising two long-format series for The Weather Channel, “Storm Stories,” and “Atmospheres.

MeckCARES is the System of Care partnership among local child-serving agencies, families and the community. Its purpose is to improve the lives of youth ages 10 - 12 with emotional challenges, and their families. MeckCARES adopts a unified approach across provider organizations. By enrolling in MeckCARES, families participate as equal partners in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of services.

For more information about MeckCARES, visit:  http://meckcares.charmeck.org or call 704-432-4593.

For more information on the Junior League of Charlotte, visit:  www.jlcharlotte.org.

For more information about the SAMHSA Voice Awards, visit:  www.voiceawards.samhsa.gov.