Silence the Shame: a panel discussion on Mental Health & Suicide
ATDC presents Silence the Shame
The CDC reports suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, overall, and ranks No. 2 among 10- to 34-year-olds. How can we reduce the stigma and shame associated with discussing hashtag#mentalhealth? What role can technology play?
For National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Kirk Barnes, our ATDC program's Health Tech catalyst, is moderating a "Silence The Shame" panel Sept. 12 that ATDC is hosting in Tech Square.
Silence the Shame: Bringing Together Technology, Entertainment, and Academia to Address Mental Health for National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
ATDC is proud to present former music industry veteran Shanti Das and her national mental health movement. This special event, sponsored by Cox Enterprises, will bring together a panel of industry experts from entertainment, professional sports, technology, academia, and science backgrounds to address the negative stigma associated with mental health and share ideas to help everyday people find ways to improve emotional, psychological, physical, and social well-being.
The interactive panel will feature music industry veteran Shanti Das, and Yared Alemu, founder of TQ Intelligence, a mental health tech startup at ATDC:
https://bit.ly/2wu5fPu
For Das, an Atlanta native and music industry executive who has worked with a wide range of acts including OutKast, Usher, and TLC, mental health is a deeply personal issue for her.
“My father committed suicide when I was seven months old and my best friend took her own life four years ago,” said Das, who launched the Silence The Shame initiative as part of her Hip-Hop Professional Foundation. “No one is immune to having a mental health struggle, or the situations that can trigger those issues, whether it’s divorce, or the death of a loved one, racism, or the PTSD of a mass shooting.
“We need to talk about mental health more and as we do so, we’ll begin to the end the stigma and normalize those discussions around our mental health and self-care, and silence that shame many of us have in discussing mental health.”
Barnes said the interactive panel discussion and Q&A will be forum for the exchange of ideas and sharing of tools and techniques to help attendees find ways to improve their emotional, psychological, physical, and social well-being.
“Having unique perspectives from people in multiple industries can help shed light on what mental health is and help people find real-world solutions regarding mental health,” Barnes said.
“Historically, there hasn’t been a lot of innovation in mental health in the technology space because it’s a subjective and personal subject. But now, we’re finding you can use technology to help give access to mental health professionals and the resources and tools they use for mental wellness and well-being.”
About Silence The Shame
Established by music industry veteran Shanti Das, Silence The Shame is an initiative designed to help remove the shame and stigma related to mental health. Silence The Shame, which aims to educate and provide resources for treatment, support, and care, is part of the Hip-Hop Professional Foundation, whose goal is to empower and enrich the lives of those in underserved communities around youth empowerment, mental health, and poverty. To learn more, please visit silencetheshame.com.
Date: Sept 12, 2018
Time: 5pm-8:30pm
Venue: Technology Square Research Bldg, 848 Spring St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308
Register: (The event is free and open to all, but attendees are asked to register here.)
Contact:
