The 8th Annual DBSA Conference at Kean University Featured Pop Star And Mental Health Advocate Demi Lovato

submitted by Kean University 

Kean University recently hosted the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) of New Jersey’s 8th Annual conference. The event featured a keynote address by NJ State Senator and former governor of New Jersey Richard J. Codey and an informative Q&A session with pop star and mental health advocate Demi Lovato. DBSA is the leading peer-directed national organization focusing on the two most prevalent mental health conditions, depression and bipolar disorder, which affect more than 21 million Americans, and account for 90% of the nation’s suicides annually.

Through more than 700 support groups and nearly 300 chapters, DBSA reaches millions of people with in-person and online peer support. DBSA’s peer-based, wellness-oriented, and empowering services and resources are available when people need them, where they need them, online 24/7, in local support groups, in audio and video casts, and printed materials. DBSA envisions wellness for people living with depression and bipolar disorder, providing hope, help, support, and education to improve the lives of people who have mood disorders.

“When you are able to be authentic, honest, and find the humor in our illness it takes a little of the stigma away,” said Lovato, addressing an audience of peers.

Lovato recounted her personal struggles with alcoholism, drugs and bi-polar disorder. She affirmed her commitment to combatting the stigma attached to mental illness and assured the audience that they too can overcome similar challenges.

Richard J. Codey has made mental health care a focus of his legislative career and, as governor, was active in reforming and improving mental health care for the citizens of New Jersey, and in fighting mental health stigma. Codey described how he lived the experience of a mental health condition when his wife, Mary Jo Codey, developed post-partum depression after the birth of their first child.

The event also featured an afternoon keynote by author Marya Hornbacher. Ms. Hornbacher’s first book,Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Among her subsequent books is Madness: A Bipolar Life. She has spoken at and conducted workshops for educational institutions, medical and psychological organizations, and mental health events. For more about Marya please seehttp://www.maryahornbacher.com/.

Founded in 1855, Kean has become one of the largest metropolitan institutions of higher education in the region, boasting a richly diverse student, faculty and staff population. Kean continues to play a key role in the training of teachers and is a hub of educational, technological and cultural enrichment serving nearly 15,000 students. The Nathan Weiss Graduate College offers three doctorate degree programs and more than 60 options for graduate study leading to master’s degrees, professional diplomas or certifications. The University’s five undergraduate colleges offer 49 undergraduate degrees over a full range of academic subjects. With campuses in Union, NJ, Toms River, NJ and Wenzhou, China, Kean University provides a world-class education.