HDRF Scientist in the News!,
September 5, 2019

We are proud to announce that Dr. Carla Nasca, a postdoctoral fellow with our Depression Task Force, is a finalist for the 2019 Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists.

Her work, funded in part by HDRF, has discovered that a natural chemical in the body (acetyl-L-carnitine, or LAC for short) can rewire the brain and is a possible new treatment for depression.

What’s exciting is how LAC works.  Its main function in the brain is to enhance actions of the neurotransmitter glutamate, which helps cells recover after a major stressful event.

It’s as though LAC helps jumpstart the “first responders” in the cell after the body is hit by a stress attack.  If LAC levels are low, that spells trouble and can lead to depression.

Southampton Race of HOPE Breaks All Records,
August 8, 2019

Over 700 Participants Raise Over $280,000 at Southampton Race of HOPE!

Thank you to the hundreds of participants who came out for the Race of Hope to Defeat Depression! This year’s event was a huge success! More than 700 men, women, and children gathered on a sunny Sunday morning in Southampton to take part in the fourth annual Race on August 4.

The high-energy crowd set out at 8:30 AM to complete a tree-lined 5K course around Lake Agawam. Race Co-Grand Marshals Sailor Brinkley Cook, Jack Brinkley Cook, HDRF Founder Audrey Gruss, and Board member Arthur Dunnam led the way. The USA Track and Field-sanctioned race raised more than $280,000 for advanced depression research, setting a new record for the event.

Pride Month and Mental Health Awareness,
June 28, 2019

Today, June 28, marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the event that sparked the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the United States, and later inspired Pride events every June.

In honor of this milestone, we want to shed light on mental health issues affecting LGBTQ people.

Unfortunately, a stigma still exists surrounding the LGBTQ community, which leads to increased rates of bullying, harassment and even homelessness among a large percentage of this population.  Studies in 2015 and 2018 showed that the experience of feeling stigmatized leads to:

Wrapping Up Mental Health Awareness Month,
June 7, 2019

Hope for Depression Research Foundation, hosted its Second Annual ‘Next Generation Mental Health’ Panel Discussion on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, at the Paley Center for Media.

Moderated by HDRF Executive Director Louisa Benton, the panel was held during Mental Health Month and focused on the topic “Bullying and Mental Health.”  The event convened leading psychiatrists, anti-bullying experts, and advocates to share their viewpoints and answer questions from an audience of over 100 people including teens, parents, social workers, guidance counselors and more.

Cyberbullying and Mental Health – Know the Facts,
May 20, 2019

Laptops, cell phones, and other mobile devices have made access to the online world almost a given for many people across the United States. There are certainly positives to modern technology and the freedom it gives us, but unfortunately some negative consequences of the cyber world have become increasingly apparent.

Bullying is by no means a new phenomenon, but cyberbullying, defined as “any behavior performed through electronic or digital media by individuals or groups that repeatedly communicates hostile or aggressive messages intended to inflict harm or discomfort on others,” has increased dramatically in the last decade or so¹.