Recommended Viewing - Minds on the Edge: Facing Mental Illness

I watched a PBS show in October called Minds on the Edge. The program explores mental illness in America. I highly recommend taking an hour of your time to view this show.

A moderator leads a discussion of two hypothetical scenarios among a diverse and distinguished panel. The panel includes physicians, family members, attorneys, judges, scientists, and government leaders. Some of the panelists live with mental illness. One of the scenarios focuses on a college student who develops mental illness while in school and does not welcome the concern of a professor and her family as they try to get her help. The other scenario focuses on an adult who has coped fairly well with his mental illness until his mother dies; without key support, he becomes entangled in the criminal justice system.

As the panelists grapple with what to do in these two scenarios, the viewer gets a sense of the many flaws in our country's mental health system - difficulty in accessing treatment, dilemmas of forced treatment, fragmented mental health care, disjointed mental health policy, and too few resources. The program raises lots of questions and offers few clear cut answers.

The intent of the program is to open minds about issues facing contemporary society. The program on mental illness is to be a starting point to engage communities in discussing mental illness and to share ideas about what to do.

I strongly encourage you to watch this note worthy show. You can view it online at www.mindsontheedge.org. Or, let me know if you would like to come to the Foundation for a viewing and discussion. I think you would find it worth your time.