Actor Joe Pantoliano is among speakers during Mental Health Awareness Week at the
University of Wyoming.
Joe "Joey Pants" Pantoliano of "The Matrix" film and HBO's "The Sopranos" is among speakers that will share thoughts about dealing with depression and mental health stigma reduction during Mental Health Awareness Week Oct. 4-8, at the University of Wyoming.
Pantoliano will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, in the Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom. His talk is free and open to the public.
Pantoliano spends much of his time fighting the stigma of mental illness. He helped
establish "No Kidding, Me Too!" which is a public charity, whose purpose is to remove
the stigma attached to brain disease (BD) through education and the breaking down
of societal barriers. The goal is to empower those with BD to admit their illness,
seek treatment and become even greater members of society.
Dan Socall will lead a discussion on, "An Unquiet Mind" by Kay Redfield Jamison from
noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 6, in the Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning. Jamison,
a psychologist, redirects the focus of therapy on herself. Jamison's memoir springs
from her dual perspective as both an expert in bipolar disorder and a sufferer of
the disease.
David A. Fohrman, will speak 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, in the Wyoming Union Family Room. Fohrman is a board certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist. He is the creator of Traumatic Stress Recovery for Veterans and is an expert in the prevention and treatment of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Fohrman will speak about Traumatic Stress Recovery for Veterans or TSRV, a program he created. TSRV is a step-by-step program that teaches veterans how to naturally recover from even the most traumatic events.
Among other events schedule for Mental Health Awareness Week include:
Monday-Thursday, Oct. 4-7, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. -- Information table in Wyoming Union Breezeway.
Monday-Friday, Oct. 4-8, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. -- Video loop on mental health topics, Wyoming Union Skylight Lounge.
Monday, Oct. 4, 7- 9 p.m. -- Screening "Canvas" starring Joe Pantoliano, Wyoming Union Senate Chambers; 8:30-9:30 p.m. -- Pantoliano's "No Kidding, Me Too!", Washakie Center Rendezvous Room.
Tuesday, Oct. 5, 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. -- Depression screening for student athletes, Rochelle Athletics Center.
Wednesday, Oct. 6, 9:30-11:30 a.m. -- Gatekeepers training, Wyoming Union Room 202; 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. -- Pantoliano's "No Kidding, Me Too!", Wyoming Union Family Room; 7-9 p.m. -- "Canvas" starring Pantoliano, Washakie Center Rendezvous Room.
Thursday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. -- Health Science depression screening for all students, Health Sciences, Rooms 327, 329 and 352.
Friday, Oct. 8, 7 p.m. -- Suicide vigil sponsored by Active Minds, Simpson Plaza.
For more information about Mental Health Awareness Week or services offered by the UW Counseling Center, contact ucc@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-2187.
