NAMI-San Diego President Wins National Lifetime Achievement Award

NAMI-San Diego President Wins National Lifetime Achievement Award
Advocate Honored for Tireless Work on Behalf of the Underserved Within the
Mental Health Community 


ATLANTA, May 16  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When she began volunteering at the
San Diego chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), Sally
Shepherd's life had been torn apart by depression.  It had robbed her of a
meaningful career as a nurse, destroyed many of her personal relationships, and
the electroconvulsive therapy she turned to as a last resort had erased
memories from a year of her life.  Nevertheless, she persevered in treatment
and found meaning again by reaching out to others with depression -- especially
those that are often overlooked, such as the elderly and people with HIV.  For
touching the lives of thousands of San Diegans in need, Shepherd has been
honored by an independent panel of national mental health leaders with the 2005
Welcome Back Award for lifetime achievement.  Eli Lilly and Company sponsors
the national awards program, which is in its seventh year.

Ms. Shepherd felt cheated when the severity of her depression forced her to
leave her job.  This loss fueled a determination to fight ignorance and stigma
about mental illness, and to reach out to those affected by it, many of whom
are often overlooked.  Ms. Shepherd has strengthened the focus of NAMI, a
non-profit group dedicated to improving the lives of people with mental
illness, onto providing support, advocacy and education to all that need it, by
actively including the elderly, people with HIV and the friends and families of
those with depression.

"I was an experienced medical professional, but I didn't recognize what was
going wrong when it happened to me and neither did anyone around me," said
Shepherd.  "Education is crucial in making sure that all people struggling with
depression are diagnosed, treated, and supported in a way that best works for
them."

Shepherd speaks on NAMI's behalf to people living with depression as well as
their loved ones, giving advice on talking openly about depression.  She tells
audiences how she educated her husband about the illness, and how he went from
not understanding depression, to giving his own educational speeches to NAMI
audiences.

Because Shepherd's own depression occurred mid-life, she has become known as a
powerful advocate for older adults with mental illness.  She co-founded the
pioneering San Diego Older Adult Mental Health and Substance Abuse Coalition to
help her community understand that depression doesn't have to be suffered in
silence during life's latter years.

Recently, Shepherd developed an innovative educational program about HIV and
depression -- two illnesses that often occur together, and can impact treatment
choices.  She has worked with healthcare professionals, HIV workers and
community support groups to help coordinate the best possible care for people
living with these diseases.

"Sally is a role model for people with depression.  She is living proof that
it's possible to fight back against the crippling blow depression can deal,"
said Dr. Rodrigo Munoz, MD, Welcome Back Awards committee member and clinical
professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. "Her own
struggle for wellness, and her struggle to give everyone a chance at education,
support and recovery has become an inspiration for thousands in the San Diego
area and beyond."

Shepherd is one of six individuals who will be honored at the seventh annual
Welcome Back Awards ceremony on May 21, in Atlanta.  Sponsored by Lilly, the
Welcome Back Awards is a national program that recognizes outstanding
individuals who make a difference in the depression community.  In addition to
her award, a $10,000 contribution from Lilly will be shared between NAMI San
Diego and the San Diego Older Adult Coalition, on Ms. Shepherd's behalf.

Nominations for the 2006 Lilly Welcome Back Awards may be submitted by anyone
wishing to recognize an individual for outstanding achievements within the
depression community.  For more information, call 800-463-6440 or visit
http://www.welcomebackawards.com/ .

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/WBACKLOGO

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO ) 

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/WBACKLOGO

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO

DATASOURCE: Eli Lilly and Company



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