Man begins 835 mile walk to raise awareness of depression

Steve Curran, a "suicide survivor", has begun an 835 mile walk across The States to raise awareness of depression. He'll walk from St Louis to Washington.

The walk is scheduled to last 50 days and the members of the non-profit organisation should arrive in Washington for 7 October- National Depression Screening Day. Steve Curran will be joined by other members of the Walk to Washington group. Their aim is to collect 1 million signatures for their petition along the way. Curran and his team hope to change some of the perceptions of depression. A petition to increase awareness about the illness has been posted on the charities website. Talking about the petition Steve Curran said: "We hope one million signatures will demonstrate to Congress and President Obama the need to improve policies that address the early intervention and treatment of depression." Along the way the team will pass through Indianapolis, Columbus and Pittsburgh. People living along the route are to hold rallies to further raise the profile of the campaign. They also hope that the walk will show people suffering from depression that there is help out there for them. Steve Curran said: "The National Institute for Mental Health says 18.8 million people across America suffer from depression. Sadly, many people suffer in silence and do not seek treatment. The Walk to Washington encourages lawmakers to support better treatment options and to enact policies to help." People who want more information can visit the website or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.