Movies for Mental Health

College of the Holy CrossApril 5, 2016

@artwithimpact#Movies4MentalHealth

Here’s the Plan

I. Quick introductionII. Set the stage togetherIII. Watch short films & discuss themIV. Make it personal with our panel

Brought to you by

• Monthly short film competition

• Campus workshops• Global community

(blog, IG, Twitter, FB)

Heads Up:

Mental health is personal

This is a public space…

Films may be triggering.

Some movies that show mental illness:

• Silver Linings Playbook

• A Beautiful Mind• Harvey• Eternal Sunshine

of the Spotless Mind

• As Good as it Gets• One Flew Over the

Cuckoos Nest• Side Effects• Perks of Being a

Wallflower

Characters with mental illness are portrayed as:

• Outliers • Unstable• Insecure• Smart• Sensitive• Creative

What is mental illness?

• Abnormal behavior and brain function

• Functional impairment• Difficulty managing emotion• Distress• Sometimes triggered by a traumatic

event

Mental health vs. mental illness?

• Our well-being, more of a positive connotation (mental health)

• Illness suggests there is something wrong, health is more of a gauge of well-being

• Mental health is something we tried to promote vs. avoid

Anosognosia

By Leesa KimAWI Winner, January 2016

What is stigma?

• Preconceived notion, typically a negative connotation

• Label that he can’t escape• A barrier to reaching out• Generalization• An idea that can marginalize people

How does stigma feel?

• Disabling, holds you back• Isolating• Frustrating• Upsetting• Misunderstood• Humiliating• Self-conscious

Not Just a Phase

By Lisa ToppariAWI Winner, February 2016

In groups of three

• What did you think?

• What did you feel?

What did you think? What did you feel?

Thoughts - Surprising to hear that some days she could be down for 4-5 days at a timePortrayed Important Misconceptions:1. It’s not a choice ‘just cheer

up’2. In and out of down periods,

can be on and off - Didn’t start from one event, can’t pinpoint a specific time - Liked that she mentioned her mom grounded her, provided her with hope

Feelings - Sympathetic but not because she seems strong, can manage it - Felt guilty, she hides it so well, as do many others

ADHD

By Chris Bollinger + Cameron Voris

AWI Winner, April 2016

In groups of three

• What did you think?

• What did you feel?

• What have you learned?

What did you think? What did you feel?

Thoughts - Showed multiple sides, hyper focus - Liked title to break down stigmas - Impressed showing dinner thrown down the drain - impulsivity

Feelings - Comparable to experience of ADD, similarities to difficulty being on time, etc. was nice to be able to relate

Insights - Never realized before how functionally impairing it was - Not something we always think about as being a mental illness

Three

By Karen HuaAWI Winner, 2015

What did you think? What did you feel?• Thoughts +

Feelings - All characters put on a mask when together - Portrayed stigma really well, girl with social anxiety being looked at - Felt hopeful while all students are sitting in the same space, what if they got to know each other?

• Insights + Actions - Young male with eating disorder different to see - Never thought what it would look or feel like to live with OCD, would be really difficult, would disrupt your thoughts

What Now?

Meet the Panel• Patrick Koval, Student, Holy Cross• Danielle Hughes-Kruger, Staff

Psychologist and COPE Coordinator (counseling Hogan 207)

• Neal Lipsitz, Associate Dean for Student Development, Director, Disability Services, located 215-A

• Caroline DiNicola, Counseling Outreach Peer Educator

Thank you for coming!

• Contact us:

– Natalie Daley: natalie@artwithimpact.org

• Follow us!

• Submit a film! http://www.artwithimpact.org/contest