Bob Antonioni
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Over the course of a twenty-year career as a Massachusetts legislator, Bob Antonioni, 51, rose to become an influential policy maker on Beacon Hill. First as a member of the House of Representatives, and then as state Senator, Bob championed public education, tough drunk driving laws, and the preservation of hundreds of acres of sensitive watershed lands. Throughout a very public career as a legislator and a practicing lawyer, Bob Antonioni was also quietly waging a very private and difficult battle with depression.
Following his brother John’s suicide in 1999, Bob felt a tremendous sense of guilt, responsibility, and neglect. Seeking counseling to cope with this tragedy, Bob came to grips with the reality that he, like his brother John and millions of other Americans, was losing a battle with depression.
But for a public figure, the stigma of mental illness caused Bob to hide his efforts to fight his depression. He drove 45 miles away from his home each week to see a therapist, and when antidepressants were prescribed, he visited a drug store 30 minutes from his hometown of Leominster, MA. Bob was convinced that his constituents would see his mental illness as a weakness, and that his legal clients would lose faith in his ability to represent them.
With the help of therapy and medication, Bob Antonioni turned the corner on his struggles with depression, and decided to lead an effort in the Massachusetts Legislature to dedicate funding suicide prevention, and to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. Following a speech at a candlelight vigil for the mentally ill in 2003, Bob decided to disclose his personal motivation for mental health advocacy, and publicly announced his long struggle with depression.
To Bob’s great surprise, the response of his constituents in central MA and his legislative colleagues in Boston was overwhelmingly positive. Bob came to earn the admiration of countless persons who struggled with a mental illness, and special thanks from hundreds of husbands, wives, sons and daughters who witnessed daily a loved ones’ battle with depression. For these persons, there was hope in Bob’s story.
After more than 20 years of public service, Bob retired from the state Senate in January of 2009, and now practices law in Central Massachusetts. He acknowledges that his battle with depression is an ongoing one, but believes that with the help of therapy, medication, and positive activities happiness and peace of mind are very achievable. He reports enjoying a happy and balanced life, and continues to speak and write publicly on behalf of the mentally ill.
