Chirlane McCray talks daughter
In a deeply personal speech, city First Lady Chirlane McCray said
Wednesday she was stunned to learn her seemingly
well adjusted daughter, Chiara, was dealing with “depression, anxiety and
substance abuse.”
McCray, making her most extensive comments yet on her daughter’s
problems as she unveiled a city mental health initiative, said her whole
way of thinking changed when she learned of Chiara’s struggles.
“I can’t tell you what a shock it was to find out that this young
woman, who’s a great student, beloved by her classmates, the teachers had ...
so many good things to say about her, (a) high-performing individual, was
struggling with these issues right beneath our nose,” McCray said.
McCray did not say when she learned about Chiara’s problems, but the
First Daughter, now 20 and a college junior, revealed them publicly in December
2013, right before her father took office as mayor.
McCray said she felt “everything you’d expect a mother to feel” when
she heard the devastating news.
“(I felt) love for her, first and foremost. But fear, and a great deal
of uncertainty,” McCray said.
Complicating the issue was finding the right treatment for teenager
Chiara — an “edgy young activist,” in her mother’s words.
“At the age she was, she was not quite a child and not quite an adult.
It was really difficult,” said McCray.
She said she was happy with the results.
“I’m proud to say Chiara is kicking butt at recovery,” McCray said to
cheers from the crowd of several hundred, including many mental health
professionals.
McCray also revealed that her parents struggled with depression,
although she said “neither of them would have called it that.”
“They were hardworking, committed parents,” she said.
“And to their enormous credit, even when they experienced periods of
intense sadness, they tried their best to give their children all we needed.”
McCray
was speaking at a forum on mental health issues at Brooklyn Borough Hall,
where she announced the city will be crafting a new “road map” to address
mental health issues.
“The pain of depression and anxiety is everywhere,” she said, adding
that 7% of Americans suffer from depression and 18% from anxiety.
Under the initiative, city agencies together with community groups will
formulate a comprehensive plan to address the issues. The results will be
released in the summer, and the city will act on the recommendations, she said.
The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City will kick in some money for
the project, said McCray, who is chairwoman of the fund.
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