Demi Lovato, Sunovion And Leading Advocacy Organizations Launch The Be Vocal Collection In Partnership With Getty Images To Encourage The Realistic Portrayal Of Mental Health

Free for editorial use, The Be Vocal Collection features photographs of 10 people from around the country and represents diverse experiences of mental health in America

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Sunovion), five leading mental health advocacy organizations and singer, songwriter and mental health advocate Demi Lovato today announced the launch of The Be Vocal Collection with world leading visual communications company Getty Images and photojournalist Shaul Schwarz. The collection of photographs documents 10 individuals living with mental health conditions from across the country and aims to exhibit a more authentic, responsible portrayal of mental health in America. The new collection of images, available free of charge for editorial (non-commercial) use, can be accessed here: http://www.BeVocalSpeakUp.com/BeVocalCollection.

“Too often the imagery we see in media or online sensationalizes or romanticizes mental illness. Be Vocal wanted to help change that through The Be Vocal Collection”

“Too often the imagery we see in media or online sensationalizes or romanticizes mental illness. Be Vocal wanted to help change that through The Be Vocal Collection,” said Lovato. “We are proud to show what mental health in America can look like when people get the support they need. The 10 people featured in The Be Vocal Collection are so much more than their diagnosis. I am grateful to them for letting the world into their lives in order to help reframe how mental health is portrayed.”

“Using the right visuals is essential when telling a story; it can change the way we perceive one another and make us more empathetic to each other’s experiences,” said Pam Grossman, Director of Visual Trends at Getty Images. “This is particularly true when it comes to stories involving mental health—imagery has the power to shift the conversation and inform our understanding. Getty Images is proud to be part of the Be Vocal initiative to help dissolve stigma around this topic.”

The Be Vocal Collection features 10 people living with a range of mental health conditions – from anxiety to depression to post-traumatic stress disorder to bipolar disorder – who are musicians, artists, small business owners, moms and dads. Through the collection of 150 images, Be Vocal hopes to more accurately represent the one in five Americans diagnosed with a mental health condition each year.¹ These images are available for use in news articles, social media and blog posts, as well as other editorial communications related to mental health.

“Much of my career has been driven by a belief in the power of photography to shape perceptions and help people understand and relate to others,” said Shaul Schwarz, photojournalist working with Getty Images. “While I’ve spent my life traveling around the world photographing the human experience, participating in this project has been particularly powerful for me as I’ve come to see how unique the experience of living with a mental health condition can be and the prejudice that actually exists in some of the imagery out there.”

Information about The Be Vocal Collection and initiative, including tips and tools for speaking up and online advocacy resources, can be found at www.BeVocalSpeakUp.com. Launched in 2015, the Be Vocal initiative aims to encourage individuals living with mental health conditions to speak up for themselves and for everyone to speak up as a community to help advance mental health in America.

About Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health

Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health is a national initiative in partnership with Demi Lovato, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, The Jed Foundation, Mental Health America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Council for Behavioral Health and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. The initiative is designed to empower adults living with mental health conditions to speak up when talking with their support team and to encourage everyone to speak up as a community to advance mental health in America. The Be Vocal initiative evolved out of The Mental Health Listening & Engagement Tour supported by Sunovion in 2014. The Tour connected Demi with top mental health advocacy organizations and helped her become a stronger, more informed advocate. For more information, visit www.BeVocalSpeakUp.com.

About Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato is a platinum-selling recording artist, songwriter, New York Times best-selling author, and an inspiration to millions. Her passion for raising awareness of issues surrounding mental health and personal empowerment has touched thousands of lives.

About Getty Images

Getty Images is among the world’s leading creators and distributors of award-winning still imagery, video, music and multimedia products, as well as other forms of premium digital content, available through its trusted brands, including iStockphoto^® and Thinkstock^®. With its advanced search and image recognition technology, Getty Images serves business customers in more than 100 countries and is the first place creative and media professionals turn to discover, purchase and manage images and other digital content. Its best-in-class photographers and imagery help customers produce inspiring work, which appears every day in the world’s most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising campaigns, films, television programs, books and online media.

About Shaul Schwarz

Shaul Schwarz is an award-winning photojournalist, documentary film director and cinematographer. He is a regular photographic contributor to TIME Magazine and National Geographic Magazine, and his work has also appeared in other major international publications such as Newsweek, Life and The New York Times, among others.

About the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)

DBSA is the leading peer-directed national organization focused on creating wellness for people with mood disorders.

About The Jed Foundation (JED)

JED is a leading national non-profit organization that exists to promote emotional health and prevent suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults.

About Mental Health America (MHA)

MHA is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit committed to promoting mental health as a critical part of overall wellness, and is guided by the Before Stage 4 philosophy that mental health conditions should be treated long before they reach the most critical points in the disease process.

About the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

About the National Council for Behavioral Health (The National Council)

The National Council is the unifying voice of America’s community mental health and addictions treatment organizations.

About Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Sunovion)

Sunovion is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the innovative application of science and medicine to help people with serious medical conditions. Sunovion’s vision is to lead the way to a healthier world. The Company’s spirit of innovation is driven by the conviction that scientific excellence paired with meaningful advocacy and relevant education can improve lives. With patients at the center of everything it does, the Company has charted new paths to life-transforming treatments that reflect ongoing investments in research and development and an unwavering commitment to support people with psychiatric, neurological and respiratory conditions.

Headquartered in Marlborough, Mass. Sunovion is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Europe Ltd., based in London, England, and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., based in Mississauga, Ontario, and Sunovion CNS Development Canada ULC, based in Toronto, Ontario, are wholly-owned direct subsidiaries of Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. Additional information can be found on the Company’s web sites: www.sunovion.com, www.sunovion.eu and www.sunovion.ca. Connect with Sunovion on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

For a copy of this release, visit Sunovion’s web site at www.sunovion.com

¹ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Available at: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-FFR1-2015/NSDUH-FFR1-2015/NSDUH-FFR1-2015.htm. Accessed October 2016.