Photo contributed by Dr. Gariane Gunter Dr. Gariane Gunter, Mrs. S.C., wins Mrs. USA
Dr. Gariane Gunter, Mrs. South Carolina, was crowned Mrs. USA in Las Vegas on Thursday night, July 24, 2008. This pageant honors married women for their beauty and intelligence. Dr. Gunter says the Mrs. USA pageant is a “celebration of today’s modern married woman.” Her agenda as Mrs. USA 2008 is to speak out against the negative stigma associated with mental health. On her pageant web page it says “She is helping to bring mental illness into the light and people’s lives are changing.”
Dr. Gunter received her MD degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. She is currently a resident at Palmetto Richland to become a child and adolescent psychiatrist.
Dr. Gunter initially studied to be a pediatrician, but during a counseling session at Hall Institute, a child said to her, “Dr. Gunter, your purpose in life is to help children like me.” She said it was a pivotal moment in her life. As Mrs. USA, she feels this gives her an opportunity to spread her message.
Photo contributed by Anita Baker Blair Young, the Regional Walk Manager for NAMIWALKS; Dr. Gariane Gunter when she was Mrs. S.C.; and Isabella, Gariane and husband Tracy’s daughter; at the NAMIWALK in Columbia.
Dr. Gunter believes mental illness is a biological problem like diabetes that can be treated by medicine. She believes people with mental illness should be treated like anyone with a physical disease and that treatment works. As Mrs. USA, Dr. Gunter will continue her residency in psychiatry at Palmetto Richland and also work with a Batesburg- Leesville high school group using the “Breaking the Silence” curriculum provided by NAMI, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. She has already had several speaking engagements in the Columbia area in the past few weeks and will continue to spread her message nationwide.
Dr. Gunter resides in Batesburg- Leesville with her husband, Tracy, and her two- year- old daughter, Isabella.
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