SAMHSA Helps Honor Accuracy in Entertainment
At the annual PRISM Awards, some of Hollywood’s biggest names joined in to celebrate the accurate portrayal of substance abuse and mental health issues. (See Photo Gallery.)
The awards honor outstanding accomplishments in the accurate depiction of drug, alcohol and tobacco use and addiction, as well as mental health issues, in film, television, interactive, comic book, music, and DVD entertainment.
The PRISM Awards are produced by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc., (EIC) in collaboration with SAMHSA and the FX Network.
Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., Acting Surgeon General, participated in this year’s ceremony.
“It's been such an honor to participate in this year’s PRISM Awards with a group of people who have helped send a strong and clear message,” said Dr. Galson. “The entertainment industry can continue to help people understand that addiction and mental illness are an illness and that treatment is available, recovery is possible, and that friends and family play an important role in that process.”
The following individuals received awards:
- William Shatner for Performance in a Drama Episode in ABC’s “Boston Legal”
- Benjamin Bratt for Best Performance in a Drama Multi-Episode Storyline for A & E’s “The Cleaner”
- Chandra Wilson for Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries in Hallmark Channel's “Accidental Friendship”
- Dana Delany for Performance in a Comedy Series for ABC’s “Desperate Housewives”
Anne Hathaway was recognized in the Performance in a Feature Film category Rachel Getting Married. That film, about a woman who is released from rehab to attend her sister’s wedding, also received an award for Feature Film.
The film Stop-Loss, the story of a decorated Iraq war soldier, received an award for Feature Film—Mental Health.
A&E President and General Manager Robert DeBitetto received the Larry Stewart Leadership & Inspiration Award for his addiction and treatment related programming initiatives. For instance, in the Unscripted Non-Fiction category, the A&E series “Intervention” earned a PRISM for the fourth consecutive year.
A full list of 2009 winners appears below.
Honorees for the PRISM Awards are selected by an 80-person committee of entertainment industry professionals and technical experts from the fields of medicine, mental health, and addiction. Winners are selected for their entertainment value, accessibility of their message, and scientific accuracy. The production in each category that best exemplifies these three objectives is presented with an award.
Members of the public are encouraged to visit the PRISM Awards Web site to submit recommendations for shows that were accurate in their depiction of substance abuse, addiction, treatment, or recovery. In addition, you can send word if you saw a show that didn’t treat these issues accurately.
Find out more about the PRISM Awards. Find out more about SAMHSA.
|
Film Awards
Feature Film
Rachel Getting Married
Feature Film—Mental Health
Stop-Loss
Performance in a Feature Film
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Film Festival
Rolling
Television Awards
Comedy Episode
“King of the Hill” for “Dia-BILL-ick Shock”
Comedy Multi-Episode Storyline
“The Office” for “Night Out” / “Goodbye Toby” / “Weight Loss” / “Business Ethics”
Performance in a Comedy Series
Dana Delany in “Desperate Housewives”
Drama Episode
“Boston Legal” for “Smoke Signals”
Drama Series—Mental Health
“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” for “Swing”
Performance in a Drama Episode
William Shatner in “Boston Legal”
Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline
“Breaking Bad” for Season 1
Performance in a Drama Multi-Episode Storyline
Benjamin Bratt in “The Cleaner”
TV Movie or Miniseries
“Sybil”
|
|
Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries
Chandra Wilson in “Accidental Friendship”
Daytime Drama Storyline
“All My Children” for Chandler’s Alcoholism
Teen or Children’s Program
“Nick News with Linda Ellerbee” for “Coming Home”
Talk Show Episode
“Dr. Phil” for “The Bridge”
Documentary Program
“Frontline” for “The Medicated Child”
Documentary—Mental Health
“American Experience” for “The Lobotomist”
Biographical Program
“American Masters” for “Marvin Gaye”
Unscripted Non-Fiction Program
“Intervention” for Season 4
Newsmagazine Segment
“ESPN Outside the Lines” for “Richard Jensen”
Other Awards
Music Recording
“In the Rooms” by Richie Supa
“Lost in Recovery” by Selfish Steam
Comic Book Storyline
“The Alcoholic”
Public Service Project
MTV’s “The Truth”
Original DVD
Flashbacks of a Fool
Larry Stewart Leadership & Inspiration Award
Robert DeBitetto, President & General Manager, A&E and BIO Networks. |