"I began airing Your Mental Health because after the death of a very close relative I began suffering from insomnia, depression, anxiety and a host of other problems. At one point I was even suicidal and that scared the hell out of me." This 38 year old over acheiver has been awarded the Oprah Angel Network Award, has written more then 25 novels, had dinner with President Clinton in 1999 when she was a member of the Democratic Business Council but still feels that there is more to do in her life.
"I have accomlished some great things, but when mental illness struck me, I knew it could strike anyone at anytime." Even though her father is a prominent physician, he was unable to help Ms. Foreman with her issues. "My father is a family doctor and he didn't even know where I should turn to for help. It was only through the grace of God that I was able to find the right treament and help myself out of the black hole."
Foreman was lucky, she had top-notch health insurance. But what about people who are suffering and have little or no coverage? "That is why universal health care is such an important issue and that is why I am very interested in Barak Obama as a Presidential candidate. Health care for all Americans would mean help for those that can not afford assistance with mental health issues."
To Foreman, mental health covers everything from depression and sucide to addiction and coping skills. People who would never consider something a mental health issue only have to look at the wide range of topics covered by her show Your Mental Health at www.blogtalkradio/
The show was originally slated to air Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6 PM EST/ 3 PM PST, but because of it's huge popularity already, it is airing special segements on other days of the week as well. All of the shows are archived for those that miss the live broadcast. "We have some fantastic people lined up as guests. When I first started this thing, I was amazed at the top level people in this field that wanted to step in and help. They have no hidden agenda, no tapes or books to sell...they are just doing this to reach people and to help them. I think that is amazing."
Jacqueline is looking forward to future shows and has guests booked through September 30th. "I have people now calling me to ask me to be on the show. I think it's incredible. I feel like the Oprah of the mental health world. Raising awareness of these issues and destigmatizing them is my ultimate goal. I have "outed" myself on the show and bared all my problems with mental health and that was a huge risk. People think anyone with mental health problems is a nut job but I am here to tell you that most of us are normal human beings who just are genetically disposed to mental health problems or we have had horrible things happen to us that have dragged us into the pit."
Join Jacqueline Foreman on Your Mental Health Talk Radio at www.blogtalkradio.com/
