Readout of White House Meeting on Mental Health in the Entertainment Industry

On Friday, the White House Office of Public Engagement and Domestic Policy Council convened over 20 leaders from throughout the entertainment industry to discuss the inclusion of accurate mental health storylines into film and series content. This roundtable is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing commitment to address the nationwide mental health crisis as part of President Biden’s Unity Agenda.

Administration officials and entertainment leaders discussed recent actions President Biden has taken, including strengthening the mental health workforce and system capacity, connecting more Americans to care, and creating healthy and supportive environments. As part of the conversation, participants discussed opportunities for proactive mental health storylines, lessons learned from previous campaigns to model positive behavior through entertainment, and how to sensitively navigate depictions of those experiencing mental health challenges. Participants agreed to continue the conversation and work together to foster accurate mental health storylines to decrease stigma and promote access to resources.

Administration Participants Included:

• Steve Benjamin, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement
• Neera Tanden, Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor
• Terri Tanielian, Special Assistant to the President for Veterans Affairs
• Erica Loewe, Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff for Public Engagement

External Participants Included:

• Mädchen Amick, Actor and Director
• Dr. Eric Butter, Chief of Psychology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
• Michael Costigan, Producer
• Robert Disney, Organizer
• Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth, Chief Medical Officer, The JED Foundation
• Joely Fisher, Actor and Singer
• Katori Hall, Playwright and Television Producer/Creator
• Freddie Highmore, Actor
• Dr. Ariana Hoet, Executive Clinical Director, On Our Sleeves
• Beth Houghton, Chief Executive Officer, Juvenile Welfare Board
• Ashley Kolaya, Mental Health Storytelling Initiative
• Bianca Lawson, Actor
• Ken Lazebnik, Writer
• Tzi Ma, Actor
• John MacPhee, Chief Executive Officer, The JED Foundation
• Tracy McMillan, Writer and Author 
• Dr. David Osher, Vice President at American Institutes for Research
• Shawn Ryan, Writer and Producer
• Millicent Shelton, Director and Writer
• David Shore, Writer and Showrunner
• Kal Penn, Actor and Author
• Lisa Ann Walter, Actor, Comedian, and Producer

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