Earlier this month, Christine Stapleton, blogging for us over at Depression on My Mind, won a 2010 Media Award from Mental Health America, the national mental health advocacy group. This is a prestigious award honoring journalists, writers and producers who cover mental health issues during the previous year in newspapers, magazines and online.

I “discovered” Christine through her wonderful column in The Palm Beach Post called “Kicking Depression.” But of course, tens of thousands of people were already aware of her writing! I thought she would make a great addition to Psych Central because she brought a journalist’s eye to covering her own battle with depression — a refreshing perspective to say the least.

More amazingly, this has been a great fit for both us and Christine, because we gave her a platform and told her — write whatever you want (as we tell all of our bloggers). We’re here to support you, promote your work, and help you reach as many people as possible. For a journalist, this is a welcome change, according to Christine:

I am a subcontractor. I build what they want. They can paint it whatever color and display it wherever they choose. I get my satisfaction from the actual writing — not from reading it in the paper.

But this blog, these words, are me. Raw. What you read is the real me — my words, unedited. After 30 years of watching my words packaged and displayed by someone else, this blog is utter freedom.

Utter freedom. We are utterly humbled by her words here.

Now, an additional 7,000 to 8,000 people read Christine’s blog every month here at Psych Central, and that number continues to grow. We’re honored to host such an amazing writer and talent, and to help her reach a wider, global audience like never before. And to provide the tools that allow a writer to express themselves with “utter freedom.”

So congratulations Christine on your wonderful blog, Depression on My Mind!! We’re very proud of the work you do. If you haven’t already, you should definitely check it out!

Read her entry about the award: From Depression to Immense Gratitude

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 26 Jun 2010
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.