LETTER from the EDITOR
Dear Friends and Colleagues: Greetings! In the March issue of The Connector we take a peek at disorders of the brain. According to the latest information verified by the National Institute of Mental Health, in any given year, an estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental illness.
Mental illness does much more than destroy individual lives; it is also a disruptive force in the lives of the parents, the siblings and the children of individuals who struggle with mental illness. On this month’s cover, we feature the highly regarded New York City business executive Sally Haver, whose son Daniel suffers from schizophrenia. Sally shares her powerful story of her first-hand experience with this harrowing disease that took hold and ravaged the life of her son.
Although approximately one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental illness, these statistics do not take into account all of the others who are deemed to be on the spectrum and lay claim to a whole host of mood and anxiety disorders. Approximately 40 million American adults ages 18 and older suffer from some form of mental disorder. Mental illness has a devastating impact on much more than individuals and their families. Its long tail affects schools, communities and our entire nation.
In this issue, we also take a glimpse at the world of pharma doling out the drugs that take the edge off of a whole range of disorders; the pros and cons of marijuana; the potential impact on providers of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and a snapshot of intellectual property as it relates to biotech. To cap off our March issue, renowned plastic surgeon Henri P. Gaboriau takes a look at Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), when the quest to look good turns into a tragic mental obsession.
We can’t offer the world solutions, but we can create awareness for some of the most pressing social issues of our times.
Full Disclosure: Among the New York City business community, Sally Haver is well-known, highly respected and loved by many. During her long career, she has helped countless rise up the ladder in mid-market companies, Fortune 50 companies, publishing houses, media companies, law firms, financial institutions, and non-profit organizations. Even though Sally is semi-retired from the business world, she continues to give back to the community while she divides her time between Manhattan and her retreat in the Berkshires. She is a long-term subscriber to PR for People®.