TV ONE ADDRESSES NATIONAL MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH WITH “THE SECRET SHE KEPT” THIS SUN

TV One brings awareness to the Black community on mental health, during National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, with the premiere of its original movie, The Secret She Kept, this Sunday, July 10 at 7 p.m. ET (encore at 9 p.m. ET). Inspired by the best-selling novel of the same name by NAACP Image Award-winning author ReShonda Tate Billingsley, TV One's original feature film, The Secret She Kept, engages viewers in the story of a prominent family that lets shame, confusion and misunderstandings about mental illness send them down a tragic path. The cast stars Kyla Pratt, Gavin Houston, Kellita Smith and Vanessa A. Williams.

In a recent interview with ReShonda Tate Billingsley, she gave Fuzionz Magazine and TV her thoughts on why mental health issues are not discussed more openly in the Black Community:

“I think it’s because we have this stigma of strong black women and addressing mental illness is a sign of weakness for many. I know at one point I was going through. I was very stressed. I went to a therapist and my mama told me to snap out of it, get it together, I’m a strong black woman. So, we were not allowed to be weak…. So, I think that’s why. I think it’s also the lack of mental health professionals because we don’t have a great percentage for us to go and talk with. There’s that stigma that goes across the board. So, I think that’s why it is a really dirty, little secret in so many families. Until we destigmatize the shame behind mental illness, it’s going to continue to be a problem.

Kyla Pratt plays the role of beautiful, high-powered attorney Tia Jiles, who has recently married the man of her dreams, Lance Kingston (Gavin Houston), a successful magazine executive. Tia is on the brink of launching a major political campaign, when a pattern of erratic behavior uncovers her secret: she suffers from mental illness.

"So often, we trivialize that someone is just 'crazy' and we don't recognize that mental illness is real and relevant. I wanted to show not only was this something that deserved our attention, but that we shouldn't be ashamed to seek help. If our bodies are sick, we get help. I wanted to de-stigmatize the shame that often keeps us from seeking treatment when our minds are sick," said Billingsley. "I am grateful The Secret She Kept has been turned into a movie. While the book did exceptionally well, the platform TV One provides will hopefully get more people talking about what so many people see as a dirty little secret."

The Secret She Kept puts emphasis on the impact of mental illness within families, which is not openly discussed in the African-American community. The thought-provoking film depicts an inspirational story which addresses how far one has to go to save a loved one when they've kept a dangerous secret for years. This is reflected in Lance’s character, after he discovers Tia’s startling secret. She suffers from an illness that takes over her mind, transforming her into a woman struggling with bi-polar and schizoaffective disorder, both privately and publicly. Determined to end the cycle of secrecy, Lance and his sister Beverly Kingston, set out to help Tia realize that has to resume her medication and enter treatment.

The Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month (July) was announced in May 2008 by the U.S. House of Representatives to enhance public awareness of mental illness and mental illness among minorities. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Albert Wynn (D-MD) and cosponsored by a large bipartisan group, to also improve access to mental health treatment and services, and promote public awareness of mental illness. More information is available on the National Alliance of Mental Illness website.

For more information about “The Secret She Kept” author ReShonda Tate Billingsley, visit www.reshondatatebillingsley.com/, Facebook, Twitter, (@ReShondaT) and Instagram (@ReshondaTateBillingsley). In addition, viewers are encouraged to participate in a nationwide Twitter Party with Billingsley during the movie's premiere on Sunday, July 10, 7-9 p.m. ET using the hashtag #SecretSheKept.

For more information about TV One's “The Secret She Kept,” visit the network's companion website at www.tvone.tv. TV One viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@tvonetv) using the hashtag #SecretSheKept and catch clips and promos on TV One's YouTube Channel. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of TV One)