My name is Josy and I am an art therapist and student at Adler University, doing my Social Justice Practicum with Dr. Erin Michalak and the CREST.BD team. We have recently taken on a research partnership for a documentary taking place in a mental health facility. As part of that team, this is my first glimpse to a behind-the-scenes production of a documentary and I couldn’t be more excited to see creativity, social justice, and research come together so beautifully.
Mental illnesses are profoundly stigmatized conditions and the stigma encountered in the healthcare system can be especially problematic. For instance, it is now well-recognized that the stigmatization of mental illness leads some individuals to avoid or discontinue treatment for their mental health problems. It is also found to be a major contributing factor to disability and poor quality of life. Interventions that address stigma, particularly in healthcare settings and with healthcare providers, are urgently needed.
Research suggests that mental health documentaries decrease the disconnect we feel from others, as well as the beliefs and values that contribute to stigma in regards to people diagnosed with mental illnesses. Documentaries appear to have a significant effect on target populations’ perceptions of stigma more generally. Results vary depending on the portrayal of people with mental illness; racial, ethnic, linguistic, and/or cultural parallels; and latency of film exposure. These inconsistencies and gaps in research leave room to explore how the effect of documentaries on health-related outcomes can improve in longevity and diversity.
Hence, our new project, Living in HOpe. Living In HOpe is a project to develop a documentary series and associated website for the Knowledge Network. It will give its audience an authentic, intimate, and compassionate look into the world of living with a mental health condition. Filmed over a 12-month period, the four-part documentary will capture daily life in North Vancouver’s newly established Greta and Robert H.N. Ho Centre for Psychiatry and Education (“HOpe Centre”).
The HOpe Centre represents an optimistic approach to mental health treatment. It is a bright and spacious, custom-built four-story building; in-patient areas are located on the top floor with the best views and light. In many ways, the HOpe Centre symbolizes a much needed paradigm shift where the treatment of mental illness is brought out of the darkness and into the light.
Living in HOpe will be driven by the stories of people affected by mental illness – patients, their families and friends, as well as doctors, nurses, and staff of the HOpe Centre. Along with the documentary production, stories will be filmed especially for the Knowledge Network’s website. These stories of lived experience with mental illness will be designed to spark conversation and open dialogue around stigma and perceptions of mental illness.
The masterminds behind this project are Melanie Wood (Documentary Director and Executive Producer for Stranger Productions) and Maria LeRose (Television Producer and Adjunct Professor at UBC). Melanie has a history of capturing untold stories that strike a personal cord and sharing the all-too-often unheard voices behind them. Maria is known for being a broadcaster with a heart; her background in education and psychology is visible in her choice in projects that highlight mental health. Dr. Erin Michalak will be leading with the research project to evaluate the impact of Living in HOpe.
Research screenings of the 4 documentary segments will occur between October 2018 and February 2019 in North or West Vancouver. We hope that attendees will include anybody whose life has been touched by mental health issues: health care providers, people with lived experience, family members and loved ones. Screenings will also be a welcoming space for anybody with a general interest in mental health who wants to learn more. Beyond the 4 screenings, the documentary and research results will be presented at local and international documentary film festivals like DOXA and Hot Docs, academic conferences, and public education events. Segments from the documentary series and other footage will also be made available more broadly through a new Knowledge Network website.
In the coming months , the Living in HOpe team will be establishing a Community Advisory Committee of diverse people with lived experience of mental health conditions, family members, healthcare providers, and other allies. The group will meet every two months throughout the project to provide feedback and recruitment support. We will be putting out a call to our community soon and reaching out to those of you who may be interested.
Living in HOpe will not only be sharing an honest, compassionate, and comprehensive view into the world of mental illness within the HOpe Centre, but will be setting the foundation for community research into the power of documentaries on health-related outcomes, mental illness stigma, and recovery.
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I am a student of Drake Medox College taking Community Support Worker. I saw these article on Nov. 1 Thursday at Provincial Newspaper and I cut it as my article project. Now that you are setting a foundation for community research I and my classmate might be interested as we have a module on Mental Health and it is another way for us to learn.