Impact of Bipolar Disorder on Family & Friends

Guest Bio: R. Murali Krishna, MD

R. Murali Krishna, MD, DLFAPA is co-founder and president of the James L. Hall, Jr. Center for Mind, Body and Spirit, an educational organization devoted to improving health through raising awareness of the healing power of the connection between mind, body, and spirit. He is also president and chief operating officer of INTEGRIS Mental Health, provider of adult and child/adolescent mental health services including inpatient, residential, outpatient & clinical settings; an employee assistance program, and crisis intervention services.

Along with Dr. Krishna's roles at James L. Hall, Jr. Center for Mind, Body and Spirit and INTEGRIS Mental Health, he serves on many professional and civic boards and committees. He currently serves as president of the Oklahoma State Board of Heath and is the founding president/president emeritus of the Health Alliance for the Uninsured (HAU,) a partnership to improve the health care of the uninsured and underinsured in Oklahoma County. He was the catalyst for getting key legislation that gives protection for all health professionals when they volunteer to help the poor and uninsured.

He is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (DLFAPA,) and Diplomat, American Board of Psychiatry. He is an active member of the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, Central Oklahoma Turning Point, Oklahoma County Medical Society (past president,) Oklahoma Psychiatric Physicians Association (past president,) Oklahoma State Medical Association, Oklahoma Improvement Plan on Obesity Work Group, Oklahoma Health Improvement Plan/Children's Health Flagship Workgroup, Oklahoma City-County Health Department Wellness Now Executive Committee, Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Work Group and other state and local wellness initiatives.

Dr. Krishna is committed to improving the health of the people in our community. He believes that each one of us has a responsibility to care for those in need and is grateful for the opportunity to create lasting positive changes in people's lives. He is an expert on emotional wellness and the mind, body and spirit connection and how each one influences the other. His tireless efforts to help those in need have earned him numerous national and international awards and recognitions, however some awards have been created in his honor and because of his good work. Dr. Krishna and his family established the "Dr. R. Murali Krishna Family Eliminate the Stigma" Award in 2010 as a way to annually honor persons or organizations that have shown an outstanding contribution to the community by eliminating the stigma about mental illness and improving the lives of those affected by mental illness. On February 26, 2011 the first R. Murali Krishna, M.D. Award was given to a fourth year medical student at the OU College of Medicine. The Health Alliance for the Uninsured (HAU) and OU School of Medicine initiated the annual award as a way of recognizing Dr. Krishna for his years of dedication and service to HAU and its mission.

Dr. Krishna is an inspiring and engaging speaker on mental health and mind, body, spirit medicine topics and is often interviewed by television and print news organizations for his expert opinion on mental and emotional health issues. He has been featured on network television news programs and publishes a column, Mind MattersTM.