State of Mind: America 2004 is The Infinite Mind's third annual examination of the state of the nation's mental health care system. This special one-hour public radio broadcast, taped before a live audience of 3,500 at New York's Radio City Music Hall, features discussions about the state of the nation's mental health care system, performances from smash Broadway musicals, and groundbreaking research and developments in the treatment of manic-depressive illness from world-leading researchers.

Guests include actress Carrie Fisher ("Star Wars," "When Harry Met Sally," "Hannah and her Sisters"), who reads from and discusses her new novel, "The Best Awful," a sequel to "Postcards from the Edge"; and the casts of the smash Broadway hits Avenue Q (2004 Tony Award for "Best Musical") and Wicked (10 Tony nominations) perform as part of "The Musical Mind on Broadway." John Hockenberry offers a live commentary.

The program also features leading mental health policymakers and scientists on new federal efforts to transform the nation's mental health care system and cutting-edge research on bipolar disorder. Guests include A. Kathryn Power, the newly-appointed Director of the U.S. Center for Mental Health Services, Robert Post, M.D., Director of the Biological Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health; Dominic Lam, Ph.D., of the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, London, who has pioneered research into the use of cognitive techniques to assist patients in identifying the early signs of bipolar disorder; and Stephan Heckers, M.D., director of the Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.
 

State of Mind: America 2004
Recorded live at New York's
Radio City Music Hall May 3, 2004


State of Mind: America 2004 is the third annual examination of the state of the nation's mental health.


The audience included 3,500 invited guests including attendees of the American Psychiatric Association Convention.

 
 


The 90-minute broadcast featured set design by the team that created the staging for the Tony Awards.


Mike Wallace, "60 Minutes" Co-editor and CBS News Correspondent
introduces State of Mind: America 2004

Host Dr. Fred Goodwin welcomes the audience to the broadcast from center stage at Radio City Music Hall.
 
 
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Host Dr. Fred Goodwin interviews A. Kathryn Power, director of the Center for Mental Health Services.

Ms. Power discusses the New Freedom Commission report, hailed for its vision of a transformed mental health care system.

Dr. Goodwin discusses with Ms. Power the changes needed to the U.S. mental health care system.
 
 

The cast of Broadway's "Avenue Q," winner of Tony Award for Best Musical on Broadway 2004.
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Natalie Venetia Belcorn performs "Schadenfreude," a "word for the delight one takes in the misery of others."
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Natalie Venetia Belcorn, Rick Lyon and Jennifer Barnhart of "Avenue Q" perform "Schadenfreude" with Nicky.
 
 
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Dr. Stephan Heckers of McLean Hospital and Dr. Robert Post of National Institute of Mental Health speak with Dr. Goodwin.

Dr. Heckers and Dr. Post discuss cutting-edge research and treatments for bipolar disorder with host Dr. Goodwin.

Dr. Robert Post is Chief of the Biological Psychiatry Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health.
 
 

Actress and author Carrie Fisher reads from her novel, the semi-autobiographical "The Best Awful."
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Carrie Fisher discusses with Dr. Fred Goodwin her novel,"The Best Awful," and living with bipolar disorder.
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Carrie Fisher discusses living with bipolar disorder: "Mania is like liquid confidence. When the tide's in, it's "Surf's Up."
 
 

Linda Mugleston performs "100 Ways to Lose a Man" from the Broadway hit "Wonderful Town."

Dr. Hagop Akiskal and Dr. Joel Paris debate the existence of a"bipolar disorder spectrum."
Dr. Hagop Akiskal discusses the "bipolar disorder spectrum" with host, Dr. Fred Goodwin.
 
 
Idina Menzel performs"The Wizard and I," a song about resilience, from the Broadway smash hit "Wicked."

The Infinite Mind's John Hockenberry with final thoughts about the value of an annual assessment of America's state of mind.

State of Mind: America 2004 aired on public radio stations nationwide in June, 2004, reaching one million listeners.
 

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