Voice Awards recognizes those who fight stigmas against mental illness

To DeQuincy Lezine, the downtown buildings near Brown University represented an escape from the emotional distress that consumed him. All it would take was one jump, eight stories up on a hotel parking garage, and he would be free of those shackles.

Lezine, a UCLA alumnus, tried to commit suicide three times; the first attempt occurred during his undergraduate freshman year at Brown. Lezine was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was because of his personal struggle, Lezine said, that he decided to commit his studies and future career to suicide prevention, a commitment that would lead to a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Voice Awards.

The Voice Awards, taking place Wednesday in Royce Hall, is a program sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, that fights the stigma surrounding mental and substance disorders and honors those who help educate the public on the topics.

Lezine founded one of the first mental health and suicide prevention student clubs at Brown University. And since then, Lezine has written for SAMHSA, worked with the Mental Health Association of San Francisco, and written his own book “Eight Stories Up: An Adolescent Chooses Hope Over Suicide.”

Bob Carolla, a past Voice Awards judge and the director of media relations for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, will receive a Consumer/Peer Leadership Award for his efforts in educating the public on mental illness.

Carolla has been living with bipolar depression for thirty years. He said he first experienced a onset of depression after graduating law school and joining a law practice. His most difficult onset occurred while he was working as legislative counsel to George Mitchell, the former majority leader of the U.S. Senate. It was during this time, said Carolla, that he was professionally diagnosed with bipolar depression.

In 1999, Carolla began working at NAMI, a program partner of the Voice Awards, where he educates the media on mental illness and focuses on policy communication. He said one of NAMI’s major commitments is to fight the stigma and discrimination of mental disorders.

The stigma that surrounds mental illness and substance abuse partly rises from popular culture, Carolla said.

“I think that people’s perceptions are shaped by popular culture, which includes television, movies, and even the advertising industry, where mental health conditions are portrayed as a source of violence or used as the butt of jokes,” Carolla said.

Roger Wolfson, a television writer for shows such as “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” and “The Closure,” believes the Voice Awards has had a positive impact on the entertainment industry’s portrayal of mental and substance disorders. Wolfson has served a judge for the Voice Awards for the past ten years.

Wolfson cites the television show “Homeland” as one of many examples of the impact, because its premise is built around the lead character’s mental challenges. Wolfson said the awards helps create an atmosphere where an accurate portrayal like that of mental illness on “Homeland” is encouraged in the entertainment industry.

“By focusing on the opinion makers who are the writers and producers and talent in Hollywood, the Voice Awards are having an immense impact,” Wolfson said.

On Wednesday, the Voice Awards will continue to recognize people in and beyond Hollywood who have brought mental issues to light.

“When you’re going through the worst of (the disorder), it’s almost like a person makes a vow that when they get better, they want to do something to give back and to help people that are going through a period of struggle,” Carolla said.