Over 17 million children in the U.S. have a mental health disorder. That's more than the number with cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. And when they aren't properly diagnosed and treated—more often than not due to the stigma attached to issues of mental health—they are sentenced to a life of academic failure, substance abuse, and juvenile delinquency.
When jeweler, philanthropist, and arts patron Brooke Garber Neidich's son displayed early symptoms of an attention deficit disorder at age 2, she spent years searching for effective treatment before finding Dr. Harold Koplewicz. Together, in 2009, they created the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to families struggling with mental health and learning disorders.
By offering high-quality care (regardless of a family's financial situation) and continuing research to better understand the developing brain, the CMI works to de-stigmatize matters of brain health, create a culture of openness around the topic, and empower families to seek help.
"There's not a place I go where the conversation doesn't turn to mental health," said Garber Neidich, speaking on the universality of her cause at our Philanthropy Summit last week. "Our work is transformative and openly shared."
Precisely what the mental health community needs.
Leena Kim is an editor at Town & Country, where she covers travel, jewelry, education, weddings, and culture.
