House Supporting NAMI
Regular readers will know two things about me:
- I am a huge advocate for the mentally ill
- Last year I had to publish two denials after some mendacious individual posted the preposterous suggestion that the character of Gregory House in the wonderful TV show, was in some way based on me. To this day I don’t know where that idea came from, other than the fact that I have specialized in trying to crack diagnostic conundrums.
Take the two together, and I’d like to give credit where it’s due.
I was delighted to see that the entire cast and crew got together to support the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill (NAMI).
House has a well known expression, "Everyone lies." The the show’s producers and cast members, along with the slogan, will benefit the organization and its work in education, support, and advocacy for individuals and families affected by mental illness.
For a limited time, T-shirts from the show, emblazoned with the phrase "Everybody Lies," are being sold on-line.
The executive producer of house is Katie Jacobs, and she had this to say:
"Mental illness is stigmatized and misunderstood in our society, and we’re trying to do something about that. We’re very fortunate to be celebrating an extremely successful third season for HOUSE, and we’d like to give something back to a cause we feel is both worthy and overlooked."
The TV show, in the course of showing Dr. House attempting to diagnose illnesses with hallucinatory or psychotic symptoms, has helped educate the public about the medical nature of many psychiatric symptoms including mood and personality changes. These diagnoses have included herpes encephalitis, syphilis, hypercortisolism (Cushing’s), Wilson’s disease, hemochromatosis, and Korsakoff’s syndrome (vitamin B1 deficiency).
"Everybody Lies" conveys a message about stigma, false perceptions and misinformation about mental illness. In the TV show, the phrase represents that people who are being diagnosed with ANY illness often withhold information. In a time when it seems that Hollywood has been indifferent to, or even has propagated, stigma about mental illness, it is refreshing that the producers and cast of a TV show are helping to combat that.
NAMI executive director Mike Fitzpatrick says,
"On behalf of every individual and family who live with major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, NAMI thanks the show and cast. They are making a difference in people’s lives."
In addition to the sale of the T-shirts, an on-line auction is running for seven days (1 May 2007 through 7 May 2007) to sell five special autographed items. All proceeds go to NAMI.
Dr. Richard G. Petty, MD is a world-renowned authority on the brain, and his revolutionary work on human energy systems has been acclaimed around the globe.
He is also an accredited specialist in internal and metabolic medicine, endocrinology, psychiatry, acupuncture and homeopathy. He has been an innovator and leader of the human potential movement for over thirty years and is also an active researcher, teacher, writer, professional speaker and broadcaster. He is the author of five books, including the groundbreaking and best selling CD series Healing, Meaning and Purpose. He has taught in over 45 countries and 48 states in the last ten years, but spends as much time as possible on his horse farm in Georgia.
