Videos
Videos
This
16-minute video by Annelle Primm, M.D. highlights the
problem of
depression
in the African-American community. It attempts to reduce the
stigma
of depression and mental health treatment by addressing some of the
concerns
that may be unique to African-Americans experiencing depression.
The video features comments by Dr. Primm and a variety of
African-Americans
who have experienced depression talking about their experiences and
recoveries. 
Initially
broadcast in
October 2002, "Hope on the Street" profiles four homeless persons with
mental illnesses, who struggle
for recovery—with different degrees of success. National distribution
of the documentary recently began through the American Public
Television network and continues through June (check local listings).
The documentary is intended in part to shatter the stigma that
surrounds
mental illness by telling real stories with human faces—and showing
that recovery is possible.
This film sheds light on this difficult subject, showing how it impacts families, the personal battles it creates, and the resources available to those who suffer from it. We meet several people who have mental illnesses and who are homeless from time to time. One is Ray Guevarra, a Latino who survived an abusive childhood, gang-life as a homeless teen and a constant struggle with his bi-polar disorder. He overcame his illness with the support of his family and proper treatment, and is now an outreach worker and speaker at mental health conferences across the country. African-American Sandra Washington ran away from her family in Mississippi sixteen years ago. With the help of a social worker she recently reconnected with them. John Joseph suffers from schizophrenia and was homeless for five years until a flower vendor took a chance, gave him a job, and got him off the streets.
This 19-minute videotape features a
diverse group of over 25 employers, job developers, and employees with
psychiatric disabilities. Through personal interviews, they speak of
their experiences and offer sensitive and practical suggestions to help
others achieve success joining or rejoining the workforce. Invisible
Workforce presents a hopeful vision of recovery that will inspire
employers, mental health professionals, educators, consumers and family
members. This tape is also valuable for job developers and placement
coordinators meeting with prospective employers. The first in a series
on employment, this video is intended to stimulate dynamic and
productive discussions about the major issues of the workplace for
people with psychiatric disabilities. 
Synopsis:
Imagining Robert is an account of
Robert
Neugeboren's
30-year history of mental illness. In this moving memoir, his brother
Jay
describes the tragedy of psychosis and illustrates the redemptive power
of writing. The author imagines his brother as two people--one
hospitalized,
the other communicative and lucid--and crafts a story of his brother's
thoughts by weaving together Robert's exquisitely written letters about
this unfolding family tragedy. The instability of the author's own
children
and his manipulative mother's affliction with Alzheimer's disease
multiply
the pressure he feels, threatening his own mental health. His careful
words
seem an attempt to organize the confusion around him. The imagined
friendship
with the brother he lovingly cares for serves as an important source of
self-examination. Neugeboren's prose restores his brother's dignity by
refusing to let the details of how Robert has suffered in psychiatric
institutions
go unrecorded. 
Synopsis: Cadigan is diagnosed
with schizophrenia
in
1991
while a senior at Carnegie Mellon University studying painting and
printmaking.
After three years of failing to respond to any treatment, he finds a
new
doctor and begins taking newly-released medications which make a
difference.
He chronicles his fight for sanity with a video camera and the
unswerving
support of his family and makes a remarkable recovery. Cadigan now
lives
and works as an artist in the San Francisco Bay area. "Making art is
like
breathing - a necessary part of my life. The more I work, the more I am
healed, and the images become a deeper expression of my interior world."
In the video, nineteen mental health consumers,
family members, providers, and administrators share their candid
perspectives on the effects of stigma in their work and in their lives.
“Stigma…in Our Work, in Our Lives” is an invaluable tool for continuing
education in the health care professions. Educators will also find it
an excellent resource in undergraduate and graduate settings.
“Stigma…in Our Work, in Our Lives” was created by The Anti-Stigma
Project of On Our Own of Maryland, Inc. and funded by the Center for
Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, Department of Health and Human Services. This interactive workshop is designed to
reduce stigmatizing behaviors, attitudes and practices within the
mental health and addiction recovery communities. Participants identify
stigmatizing behaviors and attitudes and their impact on the design,
delivery, and receipt of services, and develop possible solutions and
action steps. (3 hours)
About
Dr. Kenneth Duckworth, MD (Lead Contributor):
Dr. Ken
Duckworth serves as the medical director for the National Alliance on
Mental
Illness (NAMI). Triple board certified by the American Board of
Psychiatry
and Neurology in Adult, Child and Adolescent, and Forensic Psychiatry,
Dr. Duckworth has extensive experience in the public health arena.Brief
Articles 
Posters/Exhibits
Exhibit Description: Nothing to Hide is an exhibit featuring photographs and interviews with families whose lives are affected by mental illness - schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, major depression, anxiety disorders, etc. The compelling accounts demonstrate strength, courage, integrity and accomplishment in the face of the adversity and stigma of mental illness. By bringing visibility to these individuals and their families, Nothing to Hide helps dispel harmful stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions about mental illness.
Stigma: Language Matters—flyer order form:
CLICK
HERE
Language
Matters
One obstacle to more positive attitudes and behaviors
toward
those
living with mental illnesses is disrespectful language used to refer to
mental illnesses and the people who experience them. For
discussions
of issues related to language and psychiatric disorder, click here: LANGUAGE
MATTERS