Speak and Be Heard Speaking up about bipolar depression

Find hope in stories from people with bipolar depression and a caregiver.

SPEAK and Be Heard... Living With Bipolar Depression is a campaign that features people with bipolar depression and their caregivers. By publicly telling the stories of their journey and sharing their success, they serve as inspiring role models for others.

Participants in the campaign include prominent psychiatrist Dr. Janet E. Taylor; Peter Ashenden, president of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA); researcher and thought leader Dr. C. Brendan Montano; and actress Debi Mazar, star of the hit TV series Entourage and Dancing With The Stars.

Together, these individuals are voicing their experiences with bipolar depression so that others may benefit from their knowledge, hope, determination, and strength.

  • Dr. Janet E. Taylor: Education is at the heart of this psychiatrist's story
  • Dr. C. Brendan Montano, MD: Learn from a leading researcher
  • Peter Ashenden: Hear from the president of DBSA
  • Debi Mazar: The actress talks candidly about a close family member's struggle with bipolar depression

Meet Dr. Janet E. Taylor

Dr. Janet Taylor is a New York-based Psychiatrist in private practice. She previously served as clinical instructor of psychiatry at Columbia University at Harlem Hospital. She attended the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky for undergraduate college and medical school. Following medical school, Dr. Taylor completed an internship in internal medicine at the Miriam Hospital-Brown University and thereafter, completed her psychiatric residency at New York Medical College-Westchester Medical Center. Dr. Taylor also received a Master's of Public Health in Health Promotion/Disease Prevention from Columbia University and in 2008 was the recipient of the Woman in Medicine Award from the National Medical Association-Council of Women's Concerns.

While living in Vancouver, Dr. Taylor gained international experience with Community Psychiatry at Greater Vancouver Mental Health. There, she developed an interest in Life Coaching and became a Certified Professional Coach through the Coaches Training Institute. This led to the formation of her company, Mind Projects Inc., which specializes in Corporate Stress Management and Performance and Health Enhancement.

Dr. Taylor was invited as the featured speaker at Softworld 2000-Women Entrepreneurs in E-Commerce Symposium, where she spoke to international businesswomen on the subject of Building Relationships in the Internet Era. Dr. Taylor is a frequent contributor to "The Early Show" on CBS and "The Today Show" on NBC on issues of motherhood and parenting. She is also a contributing editor to BeWell.com. As one of the invited panelists to the historic Black Women in the Academy, which convened on the campuses of MIT, she discussed minority women and academia. In addition, she has led numerous seminars and talks on issues of work/life balance, parenting, and minority women and mental health.

She currently serves as the Board Chair of the National Black Women's Imperative, is a Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Worker, and a Volunteer Facilitator with the Tree House Program-the Bereavement Center of Westchester. She also speaks to teens about ethnicity, gender and self-esteem.

She resides in Chappaqua, New York with her husband and four daughters.

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Welcome Dr. C. Brendan Montano

C. Brendan Montano, MD practices Internal and Preventive Medicine with a special interest in Mood Disorders and ADHD, in Cromwell, Connecticut. Additionally, through his research facility, Connecticut Clinical Trials Inc., Dr. Montano is currently involved with research in the areas neuroscience and metabolic disorders. Dr. Montano has served as Assistant Clinical Instructor in the Department of Family Practice at the University Of Connecticut School Of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut as well as staying active in continuing medical education. As national thought leader, Dr. Montano presents CME conferences; live, on videotape, and through teleconferences. He has authored and served as program chair for many of these symposia. Dr. Montano sits on several national advisory boards across the broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders. He remains actively involved in publishing medical literature and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Primary Care Edition.

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Introducing Peter Ashenden

Peter is a consumer/survivor and the current president of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). He formerly served as executive vice president at DBSA, a position he assumed in August 2007. He is also the former executive director of the Mental Health Empowerment Project (MHEP), a position he held for 11 years. Peter provides training nationally to consumers/survivors and mental health professionals and has been active in starting many self-help groups. He is also a well-known keynote speaker at many mental health-related events throughout the country, including the Alternatives 2004 Conference held in Denver, Colorado.

He is a former commissioner of the Certification Commission of the U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA), formerly IAPSRS. He is currently an executive committee member of USPRA's board, as well as its chair-elect (the first self-identified consumer to hold this position). Peter also serves as a member of the following boards: the Verrazano Foundation located in Staten Island, New York; the Mental Health Empowerment Project; and DBSA, where he also served the board as secretary. In the past, he has also served as a board member of CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities); PEOPLe, Inc.; and the Mental Health Association of New York State (MHANYS), as well as the treasurer for the Peer Accreditation Project of New York State. Additionally, for 12 years, he was an executive committee member of, and the USPRA representative for, the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS).

Peter is certified by Mary Ellen Copeland to train mental health consumers in the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP). He is also a member of the Copeland Speaker's Bureau and the Advisory Committee to Mary Ellen Copeland's Wellness Recovery Center.

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Debi Mazar Speaks Up

Debi Mazar, a New York native, made her feature film debut in Martin Scorsese's Good Fellas as Ray Liotta's junkie mistress. From that auspicious beginning, she went to work with such noted directors as Jodi Foster, in Foster's directorial debut of Little Man Tate, Barry Levinson in Toys, Woody Allen in Bullets Over Broadway, and Joel Schumacher in Batman Forever. Mazar has also made her mark in the independent film world co-starring in such off-beat films as Nick Cassavente's She's So Lovely and in Steve Buscemi's directorial debut, Trees Lounge. She was seen with Al Pacino in The Insider, directed by Michael Mann, and co-starred opposite Jackie Chan in The Tuxedo. Her recent film credits include a supporting role in Collateral, again for director Michael Mann, and the Get Shorty sequel Be Cool. She also had a supporting role as "the manicurist" in Diane English's The Women.

She made her television debut on Civil Wars as Denise Iannello, a character who was then transplanted to another primetime show, LA Law. Mazar developed and starred in her own sitcom Temporarily Yours for CBS. She was a regular on the series That's Life with Ellen Burstyn and she had a memorable recurring role on The Practice. She currently plays Shauna, the fast talking publicist on HBO's hit series Entourage and was partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy on Season 9 of Dancing with the Stars.

Debi is participating in the SPEAK and Be Heard... Living With Bipolar Depression campaign because of her experiences with a close family member who is now successfully managing bipolar depression, the depressive phase of bipolar disorder. By participating in this campaign, Debi hopes to educate people about the toll of bipolar depression and inspire them with her family's story of hope. She and her family know from firsthand experience that success stories are possible.

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People with bipolar depression tell their story

Discover how three people with bipolar depression overcame their challenges and became an inspiration to others.

I can say now that it was an early diagnosis of bipolar disorder that saved my life. —Simone S.

Having bipolar disorder may be part of me, but it doesn't define me. — Amanda S.

Being diagnosed with bipolar depression was not so much a verdict as it was a liberation. — David R.

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A caregiver talks openly

Learn how a caregiver's unwavering support and understanding helped her son through every obstacle.

My son is my hero in every way and sets an example of what is possible even in the face of mental illness. To me his accomplishments are greater than landing on the moon. —Annette C.

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