The Lilly Welcome Back Awards Honors Five Individuals for Making a Difference in the Depression Community.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 2003

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Honorees to be Rewarded for Their Achievements

on May 17 in San Francisco 

The Lilly Welcome Back Awards will honor five individuals whose efforts have made a difference in the lives of people affected by depression. The awards will be presented on May 17 in San Francisco.

The Welcome Back Awards is a national program that celebrates the unsung heroes in depression who promote the understanding that depression is treatable and help fight the stigma associated with the illness. Each year, an independent committee of national mental health leaders recognizes individuals for their outstanding achievements in the areas of psychiatry, primary care, community service, destigmatization and lifetime achievement.

"Over five years, this program has recognized 25 individuals from every spectrum of the depression community," said Steven M. Paul, M.D., group vice president, Therapeutic Area Discovery Research and Clinical Investigation, Lilly Research Laboratories. "But the process has also uncovered countless more who are approaching issues in depression in such unique ways. The commitment and ingenuity of people and groups in the depression community is astounding.

"Our hope is that as we uncover and communicate these unique solutions to widespread problems, the individuals suffering from the disabling condition of depression, will benefit."

The 2003 Welcome Back Awards honorees are:

Psychiatry: Carl C. Bell, M.D., F.A.P.A., F.A.C.P., Chicago, IL

Champion for the underserved

National crusader Dr. Bell, is dedicated to increasing awareness of depression and the need for quality and comprehensive mental healthcare, especially for those who can least afford it.

He and a group of Chicago's South Side residents created Community Mental Health Council, Inc., in 1975. Starting with a 14-bed in-patient unit and a two-office outpatient facility, this center now has an annual budget of $17 million and treats tens of thousands of people each year.

"If you are a physician and your job is to keep people alive, you need to go out into the community where people are dying." - Dr. Carl Bell

Primary Care: Margaret Howard, Ph.D., Providence, RI

Overcoming Postpartum Depression 

Six years before postpartum depression transfixed the nation during the Andrea Yates tragedy, Margaret Howard, Ph.D., created the nation's first and only outpatient program to help women overcome postpartum depression in a homelike supportive care environment.

Postpartum depression is the most common complication of childbearing, afflicting an estimated 500,000 women per year (one in every eight) after delivery.

"Ours is a culture where the image of the 'glowing new mother' is the height of womanhood. This makes the psychological impact of the depression all the more searing and painful." - Dr. Margaret Howard

Community Service: Linda Phillips, Athens, GA

Emotional and Musical Sanctuary

Without healthcare, and suffering from depression, where does a musician turn? If the musician is in Athens, Ga., there's a joyous note - Nuci's Space.

Linda Phillips' drive and determination to help musicians who suffer from depression stem from a very personal place - her son Nuci committed suicide at the age of 22, after a protracted battle with depression.

In 1999, suicide was the third leading cause of death among young people 15 to 24 years of age.

Due to Ms. Phillips' efforts, Nuci's Space not only helps the large musician population in Athens, Ga., it has become a haven for the entire community.

"People with depression need support in the 'in between time' - that time in the night when doctors don't keep hours and the depression takes hold." - Linda Phillips

Destigmatization: Jennifer Brown, Baltimore, MD

Erasing Stigma within the Mental Health Community

For Jennifer Brown, language matters when it comes to destigmatizing mental illness, especially within the mental health community. Her personal battle began when she came across barriers, such as stigma, within her treatment. She, along with other mental health consumers, felt more stigma within the system, than with the general population.

Ms. Brown has effectively translated her personal experience into The Anti Stigma Project, a series of experiential workshops, that has impacted the state of Maryland, helping people better understand mental illnesses. Ms. Brown's ability to help health care providers and patients better understand their attitudes and behaviors toward each other significantly contributes to better therapeutic outcomes.

"If people feel they will be treated badly and stigmatized by the system, they'll stop seeking care." - Jennifer Brown

Lifetime Achievement: Anne B. Donahue, Northfield, VT.

True Lifetime Achievement for Overcoming Depression

Imagine meeting Mother Theresa and having the memory erased. That's what happened to Anne Donahue, a member of the Vermont House of Representatives.

Ms. Donahue was first diagnosed with depression in 1986. Over the course of several years, Donahue suffered a series of hospitalizations, stabilizations and relapses. Given the chronic severity of her depression, she consented to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). What she didn't know back then was the ECT would erase more than a decade of her memories.

Anne is a consummate advocate on behalf of those who need access to high quality, clinically appropriate mental health treatment. She has used her own experience with depression as a springboard for public education and legislative initiatives. She's fought the system many times over--and won.

Among her major accomplishments in recent years is her involvement in the Vermont parity battle that resulted in one of the strongest parity laws in the country. Ms. Donahue, a Georgetown Law School graduate, received the Jefferson Award in 1990 for her crusading work benefiting the homeless and runaway children. In November 2002, she was elected Assemblywoman in the Vermont State Legislature.

"The word 'hope' can seem pretty empty for people in the depths of despair. I share my story because I'm living proof that depression is treatable...that 'hope' is real." - Anne Donahue

In addition to their awards, honorees will receive a contribution, from Eli Lilly and Company, to the charity or not-for-profit organization of their choice. Nominations for the 2004 Lilly Welcome Back Awards may be submitted by anyone wishing to recognize an individual for outstanding achievements within the depression community. For more information, call 800-463-6440 or visit www.welcomebackawards.com.

www.lilly.com