Hollywood Popular Artists

Jun 4th 2013, 17:04

Ever since his Oscar-nominated turn as Pat Solitano in "Silver Linings Playbook," Bradley Cooper has been speaking out against the stigma of mental illness.

The actor has admitted that before preparing for the role he was ignorant about mental illness, but now he's going out of his way to advocate for better mental health care in our country. Yesterday Cooper attended the White House's National Conference on Mental Health to continue his advocacy work.
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Photo: Bradley happily listens as President Obama delivers a speech about mental health at the White House. (Getty)

Given his dedication to addressing mental health issues, including bringing to light the issue of PTSD for veterans in his MTV Movie Awards acceptance speech, it's no surprise Cooper was invited to the conference. The actor, who was joined by representatives from organizations like The Jed Foundation and TWLOHA, took to the stage to introduce Vice President Joe Biden. In his introduction, Cooper talked about how, before filming the movie, he had no idea that mental illness affected his life and loved ones. He soon learned that one of his best friends was diagnosed as bipolar, and he began to realize that the people around him were "coping with this in silence."

+ Watch Bradley Cooper Introduce Vice President Biden

Cooper went on to say that he wants to "be a part of the solution," and that one of the first steps people can take is to talk about mental illness and bring awareness to it. He believes it's about "helping people understand that they're not alone, that the thing they're feeling, it probably has a name. It certainly has a treatment, and that treatment works." The actor then emphasized the importance of removing the stigma people face when seeking treatment or opening up to others about mental illness.

If you are dealing with mental illness, please know that you're not alone; you can get help. If you know someone who is struggling, take Cooper's advice and don't "walk away from people with mental illness. Don't be scared." You can visit Half Of Us for more information or check out the action widgets below.

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