Brought to you by the Depression Is Real Coalition, The Down &
Up Show is dedicated to the reality of depression. Each week our
hosts will talk with some of the world's top experts on depression, as
well as people who have been impacted by this illness. The reality of
depression is that it is a debilitating and potentially deadly medical
condition that affects more than 15 million Americans every year. The
other reality of depression is that there is hope.
Sherri Walton
Sherri
Walton is a volunteer mental health advocate and lobbyist who advocates
for systems change in the public and private behavioral health care systems.
The mother of three children with mental health care needs, Sherri's personal
experience navigating the medical, insurance and educational systems gives
her a unique perspective into the stigma and barriers to treatment that
families face when a child is diagnosed with a mental disorder. Diagnosed
with Clinical Depression in the spring of 2002, Sherri is an avid advocate
and spokesperson on the subject of women and depression. Sherri speaks
on the societal barriers to diagnosis, gender specific issues and the
effects of a mother's depression on the family. She is a member of the
Board of Directors of Mental Health America of Arizona and the Chair of
The Maricopa County Human Rights Committee for the Mentally Ill.
