Actress, Producer & Mental Health Advocate Dakota Johnson Honored at 17th Annual HOPE Luncheon Seminar

Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF), the leading non-profit dedicated solely to advanced depression research, held its 17th annual HOPE luncheon seminar at The Plaza Hotel on the topic of psychological resilience, featuring top medical experts and actor Dakota Johnson as the celebrity honoree.

The event, entitled “Resilience: Emerging Stronger from Life’s Greatest Challenges,” drew more than 300 attendees and raised over $700,000 for life-saving mental health research.   

The event also featured a heartfelt award ceremony, where acclaimed actress and producer Dakota Johnson accepted the 2023 HOPE Award for Depression Advocacy. Other awardees were Sage Therapeutics, which received the HOPE Corporate Visionary Award; and Michael Dudgeon, who received the HOPE Community Award for his commitment to funding advanced depression research.  

Among the guests were Brooke Shields, a former HOPE Award recipient (2009), and her daughter Grier Henchy, who as a Teen Race of Hope Ambassador is continuing in her mother’s advocacy footsteps.

HDRF Founder and Chair Audrey Gruss took the stage to speak about the exciting progress of the acclaimed HDRF Depression Task Force.

“When I formed HDRF, my vision was to create a think tank to defeat depression, where some of the greatest neuroscientists on the planet could collaborate in a way that breaks the traditional mold of academic research,” Gruss said.  “The field was stuck, so we hoped that by working together, we would provide real results faster.” 

“We are honoring Dakota because she has spoken candidly and openly in the media about her experience with depression and anxiety since being a teenager, “said Gruss.   “This kind of candor and sharing is part of the answer to the complex crisis of depression.”

In her remarks, Dakota Johnson moved the audience with her authenticity and humor.   She opened by quipping that she was honored to receive the award for best depressed person. After the audience’s laughter died down, she said she was inspired by the work of the Depression Task Force to defeat depression, because her first-hand knowledge of depression is that there are no immediate answers or cures. 

She spoke about the value of therapy and medication in her journey with depression.  In addition, she practices transcendental meditation every day, and finds great relief in deep tissue massage, breath work, yoga, and swimming in natural water.

“I fully support needing the assistance of more urgent help, like the temporary use of SSRIs and EMDR or brain spotting, which I find to be incredibly amazing. As long as you are not harming yourself or others, whatever helps you, helps you.”

She concluded: “Removing the stigma of anxiety and depressive disorders and the means to help them is essential. We are in too much trouble as a human race to feel further isolated by the brain chemistry and complexities of the mind that we are born with, or the life experiences that we may not have chosen given the state of the world.   If we help each other understand that caring for our mental health is essential, perhaps that will turn practicing self-love and self-compassion into a vital part of living. And then perhaps that will radiate compassion and love for each other and the Other, and then the world we live in will also become a vital part of living.”

Each year, the HOPE Luncheon Seminar is held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City and is attended by over 300 New York philanthropists, asset managers, business and media professionals, socialites, and celebrities who gather to raise awareness about depression and its related mood disorders as well as funds for continued research.