There & Back Again: A Soldier’s Journey Posted on March 1, 2011 by Brian Dyak

In a couple months, the 15th Annual PRISM Awards will honor a new group of nominees and the entertainment professionals who have dedicated themselves to accurately depicting health and social issues in their field.

This past year there has been an increase in awareness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affecting our soldiers. It is a very real threat to our beloved military men and women, and it is not one that is going to disappear any time soon. The National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder estimates that for every 100 veterans of the Afghanistan War (Operation: Enduring Freedom), 6-11 of these courageous service men and women are living with PTSD, and for every 100 veterans of the Iraq War (Operation: Iraqi Freedom), the same is true for 12-20 of these men and women. Our creative community’s role to accurately tell stories about PTSD is paramount to deterring stigma from reeling out of control.

Kevin McKidd’s (Grey’s Anatomy) performance as a doctor returning from the Middle East suffering from severe PTSD earned him the PRISM Award for “Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline” last year through his authentic portrayal. McKidd was able to foster the understanding of millions of Americans about a very real threat to our military men and women. Not only could the country identify with him as a character on our television screen, but suddenly Dr. Hunt became the face of our loved ones fighting for our safety and sacrificing their personal health and well-being for our own security. The writers hit a bull’s eye, thus the episodes comprising the storyline were also nominated!

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www.eiconline.org

thank you to EIC online for sending us this link via our contacts page

Official Press Release

Scheduled for April 2011, Beverly Hills, CA
Aired on FX network


2011 – 15th Annual PRISM Awards

The Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC) annually presents the PRISM Awards, in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), FX Network, and News Corporation, for outstanding accomplishments in the accurate depiction of substance abuse and mental health disorders: prevention, treatment and recovery, in film, television, interactive, comic book, music, and DVD entertainment.

Starting with the PRISM Awards presentation in Beverly Hills, CA. Then moving to our nation’s Capitol for the preview of the PRISM Awards television special. Then finally reaching the public through a national simulcast airing. The PRISM Awards shine a light on how these issues are portrayed in the popular culture.


In the “Drama Series Episode – Substance Use” category, nominees include hard-hitting episodes from Blue Bloods, The Closer, The Good Wife, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Mad Men. The “Drama Series Episode – Mental Health” category saw nominated episodes of Bones, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Grey’s Anatomy, House and In Plain Sight. Anthony John Denison (The Closer), Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), Christine Lahti (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit) and Kevin McKidd (Grey’s Anatomy) are nominees for the “Performance in a Drama Episode” honor.

Performance in a Drama Episode:
Anthony John Denison, The Closer
(TNT / Warner Bros. Television / The Shephard-Robin Co.)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
(AMC / Lionsgate Television / Weiner Bros.)
Christine Lahti, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
(NBC Entertainment / Universal Media Studios / Wolf Films)
Kevin McKidd, Grey’s Anatomy
(ABC Entertainment / ABC Studios / Shondaland / The Mark Gordon Co.)
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
(AMC / Lionsgate Television / Weiner Bros.)

Sandra Oh has also been nominated in the category for Best Female Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline