m4mh

1. Movies for
Mental Health
Mt. San Antonio College
November 6, 2019
@artwithimpact
#Movies4MentalHealth

2. About Your Facilitator
Seth Pickens
Spiritual Leader
Educator
Counselor
IG: @drsethpickens

3. Brought to you by…
• Campus workshops
• Monthly short film competition
• Short film production grants
• Global community
• Mental Health Services Act (2004)
• 1% tax on people earning >$1m/year
• 20% to prevention and early intervention
#Movies4MentalHealth
Individual Sponsors
• Through the Sea Marriage
and Family Counseling Inc.
• Christine Kurata, M.A.,
LMFT, ATR-BC
• Crossroads Family Therapy

4. Here’s the Plan
• Quick Introduction
• Setting the scene together
• Mental Health
• Stigma
• Watch and discuss films
• Panel of students and resources
#Movies4MentalHealth

5. Where were you right before
coming to the workshop?
#Movies4MentalHealth

6. Heads Up
• Mental health is personal – YOU are the expert on
your own experience
• Public space – no confidentiality
• It’s okay to feel!
• Films and conversations might be triggering
• Please take care of yourself however you need,
including asking for help
• If you don’t want your photo taken, please let us know
#Movies4MentalHealth

7. Mental Health
#Movies4MentalHealth

8. Mental Health
• Mental illness
• Mental wellness
#Movies4MentalHealth

9. MH Across Languages and
Cultures
If English is not your first language, does your
language have words for mental health, mental
illness and mental wellness?
Do these concepts exist in your home culture?

10. Some movies and tv shows that
show mental illness…
A Beautiful Mind
Winnie the Pooh
I am Sam
Atypical
Euphoria
Joker
Homeland
13 Reasons Why
One Day at a Time
Perks of being a wallflower
Rain Man
Sybil
Call Me Crazy #Movies4MentalHealth

11. Characters with mental illness
are portrayed as…
“Crazy”
Weak
Unstable
Broken
Dangerous
Lost
Different
Special
Aggressive
Genius
Quote unquote “Normal”
Dependent
Lost Cause #Movies4MentalHealth

12. Stigma vs.
Stereotype
#Movies4MentalHealth

13. Stigma
•A judgment or stereotype that is:
• Always negative
• Always untrue
• Can be internalized
#Movies4MentalHealth

14. How does stigma feel?
Crippling Alone/alienated
Unwanted Unfair
Wrong
Shameful
Demeaning
Uncomfortable
Depriving
Confusing
Belittling
Painful
Scarring
Scorned
Inadequate #Movies4MentalHealth

15. Anosognosia
By Leesa Kim
AWI Winner, January 2016
#Movies4MentalHealth
Content heads up: stigma

16. Discuss in groups of three…
• What did you think?
• What did you feel?
#Movies4MentalHealth

17. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
We don’t notice what we’re
dealing with
People around you can help
Good visual representation
What is a challenge for one is
taken for granted by another
Very creative
Feelings
Can relate
In denial in first
ASK FOR HELP
Some will help, some, won’t
Feeling alone makes it hard to
reach out—reaching out is the
way
Sympathy

18. How did the filmmaking
techniques help tell the story?
People arguing in the background
Finger traps as a powerful metaphor
Could have been biting his fingers
He was quiet throughtout—spoke up to ask for
help at the end
We don’t know how he got trapped in the first
place
Some people were more inviting than others
#Movies4MentalHealth

19. Not Just A Phase
By Lisa Toppari
AWI Winner, February 2016
Content heads up: depression
#Movies4MentalHealth

20. Discuss in groups of three…
• What did you think?
• What did you feel?
#Movies4MentalHealth

21. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
Thought about suicidal loved
ones
Reflected on how I can “be
better” toward loved ones
Like looking at female version
of myself
Hard to accept struggles
Depression can cause physical
pain
Sad-can’t be social
Can’t be authentic
Someone grabbing her=mom’s
support
Differences hidden because
they feel like weakness
Feelings
Impacted by strong metaphors
Hit hard
Related to acting happy in front
of a group
Not being an attention
seeker
Relatable
Not wanting to be a burden

22. Why don’t people get help?
Weren’t brought up to
Scared
Pride Tried and failed
Denial Profession
Fear of judgment Embarrassed
Don’t know where to go
Can’t afford it Fear of change
No role models What if it’s genetic?
Feel no one cares Right meds/side effects
Toxic environment No support team
Time
Think they can “shake it off”
“Pray it off” #Movies4MentalHealth

23. The Blind Stigma
By Stacy-Ann Buchanan
AWI Winner, May 2015
Content heads up: depression, anxiety, eating
disorders, cultural stigma
#Movies4MentalHealth

24. Responses and Reactions?
#Movies4MentalHealth
Cultural norms are strong around MH
All are not educated about MH
Do’t know where to get health
Misconception: It’s a choice
“What do you (young person) have to be depressed about?”
Breaking generational cycles
Stereotypes (racial, cultural) can be internalized
Male sensitivity is frowned upon
Hard to stand up to culture/attitudes

25. What can we do?
Self-reflection
Get help before it’s too late
Normalize the conversation
Be more open-minded
Make resources more known
Realize that it takes strength to know yourself
Know that your feelings are valid even if others don’t get it
Take time to listen
#Movies4MentalHealth

26. Panel
#Movies4MentalHealth

27. Meet the Panel
bit.ly/M4MH-SA
Vinnie Torres
Mt. San Antonio College Student
Danielle DeVaughn
Mt. San Antonio College Student
Tim Leslie, LMFT
Mental Health Counselor, Mt. San Antonio College
mtsac.edu/healthcenter
Livier Martinez, LCSW
Mental Health Clinician, Mt. San Antonio College
mtsac.edu/healthcenter
Marina Barrios & Bertha Berumen
East San Gabriel Valley Mental Health Center
dhs.lacounty.gov

28. Stay in touch!
Don’t forget to leave your name
and email on the sign-up sheet!
@artwithimpact
info@artwithimpact.org
#Movies4MentalHealth