*Article by Sandrel Joneswebster*
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of North Central Oklahoma Sparks Dialogue on Mental Illness With a Free Community Screening of
MINDS ON THE EDGE: Facing Mental Illness
Tuesday, October 6 at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Starlight Terrace
Mental illness is a tremendous challenge for individuals who live with a condition like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, for their families and friends, and ultimately, for the community.
The dimensions of this urgent problem are brought to light in MINDS ON THE EDGE: Facing Mental Illness, a medical program produced for broadcast on PBS that will be shown in a free public screening at OSU.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of North Central Oklahoma, and OSU Service-Learning Volunteer Center are presenting this screening, with a panel discussion to follow, to encourage community dialogue about what can be done to improve treatment options and support for people with mental illness and their families.
“Mental illnesses are medical illnesses,” said Dr. George Hedrick, President of NAMI. “No one is immune, but too often stigma gets in the way of the community dialogue, we need to confront the challenge of mental illness and determine sound public policies for treatment and support that can lead to recovery.”
Following the screening of the program, community and university mental health officials will participate in a public forum to discuss issues and answer questions.
MINDS ON THE EDGE: Facing Mental Illness
Produced by the Fred Friendly seminars
The film brings together several panelists who have personal and professional experience with the challenges of mental illness.
Some of these panelists include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Nobel-Prize-winning neuroscientist Erick Kandel, and author Pete Farley – who wrote a gripping account of his family’s experience when his son developed a mental illness.
The program illuminates challenging ethical issues as well as medical practices that can be barriers to treatment. It also explores our growing reliance on the criminal justice system to manage people with mental illness, a consequence of limited community-based treatment options and support.
In diagnosing the problems resulting from a fragmented mental health care system, MINDS ON THE EDGE provides a glimpse of many solutions that are being implemented across the country. These innovations, many shaped by the guidance and expertise of people with mental illness, offer promising solutions and hopeful direction to transform the mental health system.
