Ross Szabo is currently the Director of Youth Outreach for National Mental Health Awareness Campaign (NMHAC) and he has been speaking publicly about mental health issues since the age of 17. In the last five years, Szabo is the only speaker in the U.S. who has addressed over 500,000 young people in high schools and colleges about mental health issues. He was named 2007 Best Male Performer of the Year by Campus Activities Magazine, recognizing him as one of the top speakers in the country on the college circuit. Szabo confronted the stigma of mental illness at an early age. A popular student leader and athlete, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder while he was in high school. After graduating cum laude with a B.A. in psychology from American University in 2002, he set out on a full-time mission to speak out about mental health issues—in an effort to reach young people who are struggling to deal with their problems, and eradicate needless stereotypes. Szabo is also a founding member of the Leadership 21 Committee of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and has a regular blog on leadership-21.blogspot.com. He has been interviewed/featured as an expert by SEVENTEEN, Parade Magazine, CBS, CNN, MTV and more.

Szabo's eagerly anticipated new book, Behind Happy Faces: Taking Charge of Your Mental Health, co-written by Melanie Hall (www.facetheissue.com), was released in August 2007. Written as an extension of Szabo's popular school presentations, the book has been richly praised by Tipper Gore and many other respected authors and mental health advocates. A uniquely accessible and comforting resource for all young adults -- it also provides parents, teachers, counselors and administrators with a better understanding of the important emotional issues facing young people today.

For more information and additional mental health resources, please visit www.behindhappyfaces.com.

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