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Tragedy struck the family of Heinz C. Prechter on July 6, 2001. The legendary business leader fell victim to suicide after battling intermittent bouts of manic depression for most of his adult life. He was only 59 years old. Two children lost their caring father. A wife lost her loving husband. But we all lost a great friend and limitless opportunities never to be realized. In order to prevent others from going through what the Prechter family has endured, Waltraud "Wally" Prechter established a foundation in her husband's memory in October 2001. The Fund, now known as the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund at The University of Michigan Depression Center, will advance breakthrough medical research — especially in the fields of psychiatric genetics, pediatric bipolar disorder, neuroimaging and neurosciences — to help find cures for bipolar disorder. Heinz's passing was one of countless tragedies brought on by the insidious hereditary disease of manic depression. According to the American Association of Suicidology, over 30,000 Americans take their own lives every year, that is, one suicide every 17 minutes. In addition, more than 730,000 Americans attempt suicide every year. Nearly 70 percent of suicides are depression related. More than 20 million people suffer from depressive illnesses in the United Sates. Such afflictions affect one out of every five Americans over the course of a lifetime. However, the stigma of mental illness prevents millions from seeking proper medical care. Currently, less than 10 percent of those suffering from depressive disorders receive adequate treatment. As debilitating as blindness or paraplegia, bipolar disorder or manic depression poses a global tragedy in human suffering and a burden of gigantic proportions to our knowledge-based information economy. Currently, depressive illnesses are the number one cause of disability, leading to over 200 million workdays lost each year. The new economy needs all its participants to think, share ideas, be creative, communicate and foster productive relationships at work. Manic depression diminishes all these abilities. Wally Prechter and the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund at The University of Michigan Depression Center are determined to make a difference in the fight against manic depression. The Fund will continue to encourage the public and private sector to provide significant funds to breakthrough medical research of bipolar disorder. Wally Prechter provided testimony before the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services on May 2, 2004, requesting a significant increase of federal funding of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for bipolar research. She also asked the Department of Health and Human Services to convene a national symposium of the "best and brightest" members of the mental health community to create a "research road map" for manic depression. President George W. Bush appointed Mrs. Prechter to serve on the 15-member New Freedom Commission on Mental Health to help develop solutions to the current mental health care crisis. The Prechter Fund celebrated its first gala dinner on October 4, 2002, featuring U.S. Secretary of Health Tommy Thompson as keynote speaker and Michigan Governor John Engler as MC. Sold out for weeks, the event attracted over 850 leaders in business, politics, the community and mental health research from across the United States. Raising over $1.25 million that evening, the gala was the largest single fund-raising event for bipolar disorder in U.S. history. For more information, Please Contact:
Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund at The University of Michigan Depression Center
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