River Edge Behavioral Health is rolling a new, locally-produced awareness campaign with prominent public officials aiming to “unmask mental illness.” The multimedia campaign features Bibb County School Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones, Macon Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Verda Colvin, Macon-Bibb Mayor Robert Reichert and Macon-Bibb Sheriff David Davis.

In addition to providing statistics on mental health conditions and their impact, the videos and images feature the officials holding Mardi Gras masks and boldly declaring, “I’m unmasking mental illness. If it’s not you, it’s someone you love.”

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five Americans has a mental health condition.

“At River Edge, we understand that there is no health without mental health, that our neighbors who face these struggles deserve the same compassion and cutting edge care as anyone who faces a biologically-based brain condition,” said CEO Shannon Gordon. “By making a community effort to ‘unmask’ mental illness, we are setting the stage for the solution: treatment is effective, and recovery can be expected. Complete recovery is possible and real.”

The Honorable Verda Colvin, Superior Court Judge, Macon Judicial Circuit, presides over Bibb County’s Mental Health Court and witnesses first-hand the effects of mental illness on individuals, as well as their families.

“Many members of our community struggle daily in silence with treatable mental illnesses,” she said. “I fully support this campaign because it can revolutionize the way our local community embraces and supports every person who struggles in silence. This effort can ensure wellness for our entire community.”