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CNN Live Saturday

Interview with Woman Who Beat Depression, Hikma Gardiner

Aired May 18, 2002 - 17:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: The National Institute of Mental Health estimates nearly 19 million adults in the U.S. will suffer from a depressive illness this year.

For some that condition can be temporary, but others may find themselves in a life long struggle. Joining us from Philadelphia is Hikma Gardiner. Today she was honored for winning her war against depression, and with her Marshall Herskovitz, a Hollywood producer who spoke at the awards ceremony. Thanks to both of you for joining us.

HERSKOVITZ: Thank you for having us.

WHITFIELD: First of all, Miss Gardiner, congratulations on your lifetime achievement award.

GARDINER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: But before we get to that, I do want to talk to you about your life long struggle. So many people would think that depression may be periodical, might last for a few months or even years, but in your case it was a lifetime, starting as early as age 10.

At what point were you diagnosed officially or did someone recognize that it was depression you had been struggling with?

HIKMA GARDINER: I was in, oh, I guess mid 20s. I was in my mid 20s before it was officially diagnosed. The diagnosis had been changed several times. Back in those days, minorities were all given the label of schizophrenics. I guess it was easier or whatever. But they eventually came up with this clinical depression.

And you know, you mentioned the struggle. The struggle is nowhere near as momentous as it was 50 years ago. Because of medicines and thank God for the medications you can take, and the therapy, the talk therapy, it has changed a lot. Folks do not have to suffer today as they had.

WHITFIELD: Now in your case, since it was in your 20s when you were diagnosed, you had to deal with that, your family had to deal with it for at least 10 years, then, without a medical technician diagnosing you as having depression.

GARDINER: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: How did you deal with it? How did your family help you deal with it?

GARDINER: It wasn't so much family, unfortunately. My family never accepted my illness. It's how I dealt with it, and I frankly (UNINTELLIGIBLE) it best way I could.

WHITFIELD: And so once you did get that diagnosis, how were you able to deal with it through the help of any kind of medical intervention over the years? Now you are 73 years old and you're able to say that you have had this life long struggle with depression and you have tackled it as opposed to it tackling you.

GARDINER: Yes, I had a lot of people to help me eventually. Friends came on board and directed me in certain areas. And I had a lot of people to help me. I didn't do it by myself. I couldn't have.

WHITFIELD: Mr. Hirscovitz, you have produced "Time and again," "Once and Again," and "I Am Sam." In those many episodes you've dealt with the issue of depression. What was it about Miss Gardner's case that strikes you as so remarkable?

HERSKOVITZ: I think when you see someone overcome a lifetime of struggle and see where she is now, time constraints don't allow the achievements that this woman has managed to give to the world around her. It shows how much hope there is for people who struggle. I think that's what's really remarkable in this case.

WHITFIELD: You delivered the keynote address during her receiving of the lifetime achievement award. What was it in particular that you wanted the audience to walk away with?

HERSKOVITZ: Well, you know, they asked me to talk about Hollywood's perspective on depression, but I think Hollywood has tried to stay away from depression in great part, because it is hard to write about.

What I wanted to talk about were the societal influences on people, especially in America in this time, that tend to make people depressed, that tend to isolate people, make them feel helpless, like they have no control over their immediate world, the larger world. I think that we as citizens of our country need to feel that we have the power to change the things that hurt us.

WHITFIELD: So Miss Gardiner, if I can bring you back in, what advice then are you going to have for those in the medical industry and perhaps those who are struggling with what they think is depression and perhaps they just can't get anybody to listen or really recognize the signs?

GARDINER: We need more education about depression. That's one. We need more companies around like Eli Lily (ph), for example, who is really interested in doing these kinds of things.

This welcome back award is phenomenal. We had consumers, we had the professionals. It just brought people together. We had an opportunity to exchange -- we need more of these kinds of things. Much more education. Much more education to make it simpler for people just to pick up a phone and call the operator and say that I have some problems and I don't feel the same. And the operator will know to tag them into somebody who can possibly help them or refer them to a place where they can get help.

WHITFIELD: All right.

GARDINER: That's a large part of the stigma that is attached to mental illness. We need to work on getting rid of that altogether, if possible.

WHITFIELD: Congratulations once again. I'm sure you agree what we need more of is more examples just like Miss Gardiner to inspire so many of us.

HERSKOVITZ: No question.

WHITFIELD: And many people who are struggling still with depression, life long battles of depression.

HERSKOVITZ: Absolutely. I think what these awards do is destigmatize depression. It was remarkable to see the openness with which everybody spoke about their condition. You realize that this is universal. It comes into everyone's life at some point.

They're going to experience some loss, some difficulty they can't deal with. America has historically been a very stoic country where people don't talk about their feelings. Perhaps there is a lot of value in that, but there is a value in the sharing that takes place between people and they recognize their common humanity.

WHITFIELD: Talking about it openly is a great form of medicine too. Thank you very much for joining me.

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