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Connections

Connections: The difficulty of hiding - and speaking out about - mental health issues

Two of the best players in the NBA recently went public about their struggles with mental health. Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers wrote a piece for the Players Tribune in which he opened up about an anxiety attack during a recent game. DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors tweeted and then gave interviews about his long-standing battle with depression. Within days, each player had heard from thousands of fans who decided to finally open up about their own challenges with mental health.

We discuss stigma, opening up, and the difficulty that comes with hiding mental health issues. Our guests:

  • Kristina Mossgraber, events coordinator and walk manager for NAMI Rochester
  • Melanie Funchess, director of community engagement for the Mental Health Association of Rochester
  • Steven Mojsovski, lifelong OCD and anxiety sufferer
  • Desiree Pernaselci, teacher at Greece Olympia High School, and coach of the girls' soccer team and girls' and boys' track and field team

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
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