In Memory of Chris Cornell!

I have watched two amazing entertainers apparently succumbed to suicide over the last couple of years. The way our society treats mental illness is pathetic. If you sense that a loved one is having a "bad day" that lasts for months on end, maybe its not a bad day! I know we all have our problems, but sometimes you may need to suck it up and talk to your friend or family member and accept that it is not just a bad day, but a symptom of a bigger problem. If you do, you just might save their life.

So, my favorite Soundgarden song was released about 15 years after they "broke-up." But I'm posting it now as a promise that I am not leaving this alone. We have got to use this opportunity to start a conversation to address the stigma, apathy and outright negligence that mental health endures in this country. You feel no shame and suffer no repercussions for going to a dentist or a heart specialist (exceptions to every rule, but no social effects as a rule). So why should you for visiting a psychiatrist or psychologist?

• Since 1987, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation has awarded more than $365 million to fund more than 5,000 grants to more than 4,000 scientists around the world.

• The mission of the Foundation is to alleviate the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research.

• 100% of donations for research are invested directly into research grants thanks to the generosity of two family foundations that underwrite operational expenses at the Foundation.

• The funding model of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation encourages new and innovative research in that we are able to support new ideas from bottom up generated by scientists.

• The Foundation only funds scientists whose research is reviewed and recommended by a world-renowned Scientific Council including Nobel Prize winners and chairs of psychiatric departments.

• Learn more about the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.