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Antistigma Program Shows Power of Taking ControlEve Bender  Next SectionEnlightenment, camaraderie, and understanding are being spread throughout Northern California through a consumer-run antistigma and mental health advocacy program. Previous Section Actress Mariel Hemingway (left) presents a Voice Award in August 2006 to Stamp Out Stigma founder Carmen Lee for her efforts to combat the stigma surrounding mental illness. Credit: Larry Merkle For a small cadre of mental health consumers and advocates living in the San Francisco Bay area, early experiences with mental illness were kept close to the vest; many of the details were hidden from friends and family. But today, the situation is different.These men and women have since opened up about their experiences—to thousands of people a week, at times—as part of the Stamp Out Stigma (SOS) program, a consumer-driven advocacy and outreach program to educate the public about the realities of living with mental illness. Program director Carmen Lee established SOS in 1990 to combat the negative myths and stereotypes associated with mental illness. “I wanted to create a more supportive environment” for people with mental illness, Lee told Psychiatric News. She launched the program with a $10,000 grant from the Zellerbach Family Fund,