San Clemente, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 05/03/2016 --In recognition of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, Sovereign Health Group will offer extensive editorial coverage throughout the month, as well as launch a campaign designed to enlighten the public about the epidemic of mental illness in the United States. Mental Health America (MHA), founded in 1909, is the nation's leading nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those dealing with mental illness. Since 1949, MHA has been leading the observance of May as Mental Health Awareness Month. The goal of Mental Health Awareness Month is to raise awareness about mental health disorders.

"According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five Americans experience mental illness every year," says Rachael Mattice, Managing Editor for Sovereign Health Group. "The need for improved screening, research and treatment options only continues to grow and thus the topic of mental health has gained more traction in the news. Sovereign Health Group not only wants to be a part of this discussion, but also offer readers credible content that they can use to educate themselves, their families and even other health care professionals. Sovereign Health supports Mental Health Awareness Month by offering a month-long editorial campaign designed to promote schizophrenia awareness – one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses today."

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Sovereign Health has published a new Q & A interview on the topic of schizophrenia, featuring Ash Bhatt, M.D., Sovereign Health Group's Chief Medical Officer. The interview explores the state of the science in schizophrenia diagnosis and management. An expert in the field of child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry and neurology as well as addiction medicine, Dr. Bhatt also explains how developmental differences and substances affect patients with schizophrenia and how clinicians can provide safe and effective care. To read the full interview, click HERE.

Also in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Sovereign Health Group has launched a new editorial series on schizophrenia, "Unlocking the Black Box of Schizophrenia." This comprehensive series will include several articles about schizophrenia, with the goal of educating the public about this oft-misunderstood disorder. The inaugural article in this series, "Researchers identify schizophrenia's strongest genetic link," was written by Courtney Lopresti, M.S. and edited by Susan Logan-McCracken. The editorial piece takes an in-depth look at a landmark research study that may create a paradigm shift in how clinicians treat schizophrenia. The study was led by Steven A. McCarroll, Ph.D., a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. For more information, click HERE.

Throughout the month of May, Sovereign Health Group employees will wear green wrist bands, the color representing Mental Health Awareness Month. In addition, on Wednesday, May 18, Sovereign Health employees will wear green in support of this awareness month. Stay tuned for more information about Sovereign Health Group's Mental Health Awareness Month campaign on Facebook or LinkedIn. Readers may also follow Sovereign Health on Twitter and track the discussion by searching for #SovTalk, #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, #AskSovereign and #MentalBlackBox.

Courtney Lopresti, M.S.
Senior Staff Writer, Sovereign Health Group
Courtney Lopresti, M.S., is a senior staff writer for Sovereign Health Group, where she uses her scientific background to write online blogs and articles for a general audience. At the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned her master's degree in neuroscience, Ms. Lopresti used functional neuroimaging to study how the human cerebellum contributes to language processing.

Susan Logan-McCracken, M.P.W.
Editor, Sovereign Health Group
Susan Logan-McCracken, M.P.W. (Master's of Professional Writing), is a writer and editor for the Sovereign Health Group. An award-winning author, Logan-McCracken has 25 years of experience as a journalist, most recently as the editor of Cat Fancy magazine. She received her Master's in professional writing from the University of Southern California, where she became obsessed with accuracy, fair reporting and correct English usage.

Rachael Mattice
Managing Editor, Sovereign Health Group
Rachael Mattice is the managing editor for Sovereign Health Group, leading a team of diversified writers and editors in the digital newsroom. Also a freelance music journalist, she pulls from her versatile background in journalism, digital marketing and visual content creation to boost innovative ideas and high-quality assets for the Sovereign brand.  

About Sovereign Health Group
Sovereign Health Group's mission has been to provide a broad spectrum of high-quality behavioral health treatment services. Sovereign Health's treatment programs specialize in addressing underlying mental health conditions by utilizing innovative and cutting edge cognitive testing, rehabilitation and evidence-based treatment modalities. One factor that differentiates Sovereign from other treatment providers has been the company's ability to offer separate mental health and addiction or dual diagnosis treatment programs at its nine facilities in Arizona, California, Florida, Utah, and Texas. Sovereign's growth will continue in the coming year with additional facilities to be opened in California and Texas. The company's national footprint will also expand with the opening of facilities in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Sovereign Health Group offers high quality and comprehensive treatment programs for adults and adolescents, including support services for family members as well.

To learn more about the Sovereign Health Group and its wide range of services, please contact Wendy Allen, Public Relations Manager, at 866-948-9688 or visit www.sovhealth.com