TREATMENT ADVOCACY CENTER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR RECEIVES NATIONAL MENTAL ILLNESS ADVOCACY AWARD

Passionate advocate with bipolar disorder works to save lives as his was saved

ARLINGTON, VA – The Treatment Advocacy Center’s assistant director Jonathan Stanley has been honored with the 2005 Anchor Achievement Award for Leadership and Excellence in Mental Health Advocacy.

Mr. Stanley is an attorney and advocate who works to ensure that millions of Americans with severe brain disorders receive timely and humane treatment.

Since the onset of his bipolar disorder, Jonathan graduated from both Williams College in Massachusetts and Quinnippiac College School of Law in Connecticut. He has chosen to use his legal expertise to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves.

For seven years he has been the assistant director of the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC), a national organization working to eliminate legal and clinical barriers to timely and humane treatment for millions of Americans with severe brain disorders. In his role at TAC, Jonathan has been instrumental in improving treatment laws in California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

"He is a dedicated and passionate advocate for those with severe mental illnesses, working to ensure that they can get compassionate treatment," said TAC president Mary Zdanowicz. "Well respected by everyone from consumers and family members to legislators and the media, Jonathan's work has made an indelible impression on the landscape of treatment law reform across the nation. His selfless mission to save lives as his was saved is an inspiration and call to action for those he meets."

Introduced in 2002, this award is presented annually to an individual or an organization whose leadership, commitment to, and promotion of mental health issues has enhanced the lives and opportunities for all people diagnosed with a mental illness. Former honorees are Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, leading researcher on schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness, Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, best selling author and world renowned researcher on mood disorders, and Senator and Mrs. Pete Dominici, lifelong advocates and leaders on mental health issues.

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The Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illnesses. TAC promotes laws, policies, and practices for the delivery of psychiatric care and supports the development of innovative treatments for and research into the causes of severe and persistent psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

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