After a video was released of former "In The House" costar Maia Campbell behaving irrationally with incoherent banter, the blogosphere unleashed a hailstorm of criticism and ridicule about the young actress acting out. However, Campbell has suffered for some time with bipolar disease, and her family, including her late mother, award-winning author Bebe Moore Campbell, have always loved and supported her. Campbell's father, Ellis Gordon Jr., and grandmother, Doris C. Moore, have released an exclusive statement to ESSENCE.com addressing the recent events that have placed their daughter and granddaughter under much public scrutiny. "She is in treatment and in a facility," Gordon says.

Our hearts have been deeply touched by the outpouring of love that so many of you have freely displayed in the past several days about our beloved Maia C. Campbell. Our spirits have been lifted by your words of support and your acts of kindness and we have been encouraged to continue our efforts to assist our daughter and granddaughter to become whole again.   

As a family, we have been struggling with Maia in her illness for quite some time. We continue to hold fast to our faith and hope that some day she will realize that healing will begin when she decides to reach out and accept the help and treatment that have been offered to her. We all have challenges in life that we must face, but when compound problems such as mental illness and substance abuse are prevalent, it can appear that there is no way out. However, our sustaining faith and trust in God compels us to believe differently. We strongly believe that Maia will be healed.

We also know that Maia’s mother, the late Bebe Moore Campbell, who devoted much of her later years in life to mental health awareness and education, along with her family members and friends would welcome your prayers and support for Maia’s sustained recovery. In addition, we urge your support for efforts to diagnose and treat mental illness in our community.  

We ask that you not only pray for Maia’s wellness, but also commit to understanding this insidious disease, which is devastating our loved ones and community. Help erase the "stigma" of mental illness, which is a very serious barrier to treatment, so that we can help those with the disease to live wholesome lives. Call for more treatment options and prevention strategies, have compassion for those stricken with this illness, and help guide those who have been unable to find their way to appropriate treatment. Additionally, support those families who are struggling to cope with loved ones with the disease because mental illness affects the entire family.

Finally, we ask that you support Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, which was established by Congressional Resolution, H. Con. Res. 134, in April 2008, and is celebrated during the month of July each year. It was established to enhance public awareness of mental illness, especially within minority communities. Please join us in this effort to bring attention to this problem, to identify resources and to strengthen the focus on treatment along with research relative to minorities and mental illness. This is the work that we continue on behalf of Bebe Moore Campbell.  

Let us move forward, face our challenge, and turn that challenge into victory and a celebration of life. 

To God be the Glory,

 Sincerely,

 Ellis Gordon Jr., Father
Doris C. Moore, Grandmother

September 6, 2009

Dr. Marc Lamont Hill on How We Treat Black Women and Mental Health »

NAMI website -  

For more information visit the NAMI site, nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Multicultural_Support1/Bebe_Moore_Campbell_National_Minority_Mental_Health_Awareness_Month.htmand

Ellis  Gordon's recommended books on mental illness:

 "72 Hour Hold" and "Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry" by Bebe Moore Campbell

"Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting'  by Terrie Williams

"The Seven Beliefs: A Step-by Step Guide to Help Latinas Recognize and Overcome Depression" by Belisa Lozano-Vranich and Jorge R. Petit (in English and Spanish)

"I Am Not Sick. I Do Not Need Help" by Xavier Amador (in English and Spanish)

"Standing in the Shadows: Understanding and Overcoming Depression in Black Men" by John Head.