SAMHSA and The Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. Host “Picture This” Forum on Addiction Treatment and Recovery
WASHINGTON, DC (May 20, 2010) – The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC) hosted a Picture This Forum on Treatment and Recovery from Addiction issues at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in Washington, DC today. The forum is part of an initiative by SAMHSA and EIC to bring together a panel of entertainment industry creators with addiction treatment and recovery practitioners, advocacy leaders and constituents to identify and discuss issues related to how treatment and recovery can be accurately conveyed in entertainment productions.
“SAMHSA commends the entertainment industry, EIC and NAB for using their influence to help increase awareness of substance use disorders and mental health issues through accurate and moving portrayals of people confronting these issues,” said Dr. H. Westley Clark, Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, a division of SAMHSA. “Through these efforts the entertainment industry is performing an enormous public service to our nation.”
“There is much happening in the world today that can adversely affect people dealing with addiction problems and the need to promote the truth about recovery is more important than ever,” said Brian Dyak, EIC President and CEO. “It’s our hope and our belief that entertainment will be one of the ways that the public grows to better understand this issue and the potential for helping those suffering from addiction.”
The forum’s panel included entertainment industry figures Julie Hébert, Co-Executive Producer of “Numb3rs”; David Feige, Writer for “Drop Dead Diva”; Cheryl Horner Sirulnick, Executive Producer of “True Life” and “Gone Too Far”; Leah Weber, Assistant Producer of “One Life to Live”; and Moira McMahon, Director of Medical Research for “Private Practice”.
