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.

Jerry Reed

Executive Director, SPAN USA
Prior to assuming this position in July 2003, Jerry served as an independent consultant working on health care, mental health, geriatric and suicide prevention issues. He most recently worked with the Center for Mental Health Services on a variety of initiatives in support of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy and also served as project liaison with the three-year Hotline Linkage and Evaluation Project (HELP) and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). He spent 15 years as a career civil servant working in both Europe and the United States as a civilian with the Department of the Army developing, implementing and managing a variety of quality of life programs including substance abuse prevention and treatment, family advocacy, child and youth development programs, social services and the range of morale, welfare and recreation programs. Selected as a Congressional Fellow in 1996, he worked in the Office of Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) as a senior advisor on health care, mental health, suicide prevention and aging issues. Upon completion of the fellowship, he accepted a full-time position with the U.S. Senate and completed his assignment in 1999 as Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Reid. Jerry is currently working on a doctoral degree in Health Related Sciences with an emphasis in Gerontology at the Virginia Commonwealth University. He received an MSW degree with an emphasis in Aging Administration from the University of Maryland at Baltimore in 1982.

For more information, please visit www.spanusa.org.