TGR to Focus Content Efforts on Mental Health, Addiction with ‘Andy Irons: Kissed by God’ Release

Andy Irons' life was plagued by his struggles with mental health and addiction. We want to honor his memory by opening the discussion around the issues. Brian Bielmann photo.

With the release of our new documentary Andy Irons: Kissed by God–which offers a frank look at former surfing icon Andy Irons’ struggles with bipolar disorder and opioid addiction–Teton Gravity Research is happy to announce new content focused on removing the stigma associated with mental health disorders and addiction. Throughout the upcoming months, TGR will be addressing everything from bipolar disorder to depression to the current opioid epidemic in the United States, and telling the stories of those within the outdoor and action sports industries who have battled with mental health disorders and addiction.

RELATED: Get tickets to see Andy Irons: Kissed by God, in theaters May 31 only

TGR believes the time is now for society at large to have an open discussion about mental illness and addiction. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 1 in 5 adults experience a mental health condition every year while 1 of every 17 adults live with serious mental health illnesses like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Roughly 1 in 4 primary care patients suffer from depression while a staggering 14.8 million American adults suffer from major depressive disorder, which is crippling and is the single largest cause of disability for those aged 15-44 in the US, per the American Psychological Association (APA). Despite that, according to the APA, physicians are only able to identify less than one-third of all patients suffering from depression and per NAMI, only 41 percent of all adults in the United States suffering from a mental illness received treatment for it.

Similarly, the numbers for substance abuse disorders in the United States are staggering. According to SAMHSA, more than 21 million Americans suffer from substance abuse disorders each year, with nearly 8 million Americans suffering a co-occurring disorder–both a mental health and substance abuse disorder. Those who suffer from mental health disorders have an exponentially higher rate of substance abuse disorders than the general population. But much like those with mental health disorders, the majority of people suffering from substance abuse disorders don’t receive the treatment they need: A 2013 study by SAMHSA concluded that only 10.9 percent of individuals who needed special treatment for their substance abuse disorders received it and that a full 95 percent of the people who didn’t get treatment they needed felt it was unnecessary.

That final point cuts to the heart of why we feel it necessary to address the issues: Because of the stigma many feel around discussing mental health and substance abuse disorders, far too many people aren’t getting the treatment they need. We hope that by sharing the stories of those in our community who have made it through their battles, we can help open the discussion up a bit more.