Mental Health America to Present Highest Honor to Dr. Fred Frese

Psychologist to Receive Clifford W. Beers Award on June 12 at

Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

Contact: Steve Vetzner, (703) 797-2588 or svetzner@mentalhealthamerica.net

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (June 10, 2010)-Mental Health America will award Dr. Fred Frese of Hudson, Ohio, with its highest honor, the Clifford W. Beers Award, for his leadership and community service at the Closing Night Dinner of its Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., on June 12.

Each year, Mental Health America presents the Beers Award to a mental health consumer who best reflects the example set by Mental Health America founder, Clifford W. Beers, in his or her efforts to improve conditions for and attitudes toward people living with mental health conditions.

A national spokesperson for people with severe mental illnesses for well over 20 years, Frese was among the first psychologists to publicly disclose his diagnosis schizophrenia while serving on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University.

In doing so, he placed his entire career at risk because of the biases at the time regarding the fitness of individuals with mental illnesses to perform clinical work in psychology.

"Fred Frese has blazed new trails in the mental health field that has opened countless opportunities for consumers and their families," said David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America. "We are all indebted to his courage and commitment that has done so much to change attitudes and promote understanding of people living with mental illness."

Dr. Mike Hogan, who chaired the President's New Freedom Commission, has called Frese "a national treasure." A prolific writer and outstanding speaker, he is revered both for his sense of humor and his remarkable ability to translate research and public policy into usable information.

Frese is presently coordinator of the Summit County Recovery Project, serving recovering consumers in the Akron area. For fifteen years, until his retirement in 1995, he was Director of Psychology at Western Reserve Psychiatric Hospital.

Frese was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a young Marine Corps officer. Despite his condition, he was able to gain a degree from the American Graduate School of International Management in Phoenix, AZ; and a doctorate in psychology from Ohio University.

Frese founded the Community and State Hospital Section of the American Psychological Association and is past president of the National Mental Health Consumers' Association. He currently holds a clinical faculty appointment in psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University and is an associate professor of psychology in psychiatry at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM). He is Second Vice President of the Board of Directors of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and is also on the Board of Scientific Advisors for Schizophrenia Bulletin.

He has authored many articles and book chapters and has lectured widely on the subject of schizophrenia.

The Clifford W. Beers Award is named for the founder of Mental Health America and America's volunteer mental health advocacy movement. Created in 1976, the Beers award is presented annually to a consumer of mental health or substance abuse services who best reflects the example set by Beers in his efforts to improve conditions for, and attitudes toward, people with mental illnesses.

Mental Health America is the country's leading nonprofit dedicated to helping ALL people live mentally healthier lives.  With a century of service and our more than 320 affiliates nationwide, we represent a growing movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well-being of the nation - everyday and in times of crisis.

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