The Austen Riggs Center Announces Alix Spiegel of NPR, Erica Goode of The New York Times, and Richard Simon of the Psychotherapy Networker, Honorees of a New Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media, to Spur a Public Forum in Stockbridge

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass., May 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Erikson Institute for Education and Research at the Austen Riggs Center has announced a new prize for excellence in mental health media. Every year, the Erikson Prize will recognize three individuals who have brought nuance, compassion, and scientific rigor to their coverage of mental illness and recovery with an award of $1,500 each. Prize-winners will be honored in a forum on mental health media at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The 2010 forum, which is open to the public, will take place from 1:30-4:30 pm, Saturday, June 12.  In its inaugural year, the honorees are Alix Spiegel of NPR; Erica Goode of The New York Times; and Richard Simon of The Psychotherapy Networker.  Together, they have many years of experience creating evocative pieces on mental health for three major national media outlets.  

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According to the Erikson Prize guidelines, its purpose is "to reward and encourage sophisticated, accessible work on mental illness and recovery, and to stimulate conversation about the broad range of mental health issues, including how to dispel stigma and promote well-being."

"For writers and editors, there's no topic more challenging than mental health," says Joshua Wolf Shenk, the author of Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness, and member of the jury for the inaugural prize. The prize, Shenk says, will help bring attention to standard-setting work on mental health issues, and spur conversation between the media and authorities in the field they cover.

About Austen Riggs
Named one of America's best psychiatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Riggs is renowned for its work with patients previously regarded as "treatment resistant."  The Erikson Institute takes its name from Erik H. Erikson, the renowned humanist psychoanalyst and former Riggs staff member, whose work explored the connection between individuals and their psychosocial and historical contexts.

The Austen Riggs Center is located at 25 Main Street, Stockbridge, Massachusetts.  Individuals interested in attending the Forum can call (413) 931-5236 to register, the fee for the event is $15, and early registration is recommended.  Registration is also available at the Austen Riggs website.

SOURCE Austen Riggs Center