RANCHO SANTA FE — The International Bipolar Foundation has launched an essay contest open to all high school students in San Diego and Imperial counties. For more information about the International Bipolar Foundation or to receive the essay rules and registration form, contact Ashley Reitzin at [email protected].
“Our hope is that students will be interested in winning the prize and thereby research stigma in order to write the essay,” said Rancho Santa Fe resident Muffy Walker, president and founder of IBPF. “In so doing, we will be educating a lot of young people and hopefully changing their perception about mental illness.”
The topic of the essay is “Changing the Future of Stigma; Bipolar Disorder in 2020.” First- and second-place winners will be judged by a panel of authors who currently write about bipolar disorder and mental illness and the winner will be announced in May to celebrate May as Mental Health Month. The contest is open to all high school students in San Diego and Imperial counties.
In addition to the first place winner getting two tickets to the Cricket Amphitheatre for the 2011 season, the winner will read his/her essay at a luncheon on May 26 featuring Canadian and mental health advocate Margaret Trudeau.
Trudeau has authored three books, including her latest, “Changing My Mind,” and discusses the bipolar condition she has struggled with all her life. For all her adult life, Trudeau has suffered from the debilitating effects of her bipolar condition. Now, after seeking medical treatment that has given her life balance and happiness, she advocates strongly on mental health issues, helping people overcome the stigma of mental illness that often prevents sufferers from getting help.
For more information on the luncheon featuring Trudeau, co-hosted by International Bipolar Foundation and Jewish Family Services, contact Muffy Walker at [email protected] or call (858) 342-0327.
The International Bipolar Foundation was founded in June 2007 in San Diego by four parents with children affected by bipolar disorder. For more information, go to www.internationalbipolarfoundation.org or contact IBPF at (858) 342-0327 or [email protected]
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