FIGHTING STIGMA: "THE SOLIST"
I am so excited that "The Soloist" will be hitting theaters soon. Not many movies portray mental illness in a positive light. I think this movie will inspire the public to form an accurate opinion of mental illness. Please visit "The Soloist" website to view the movie's trailer. I often ponder the connection between creativity and mental illness. This movie shows how a man can find peace through his creativity/music and find purpose through a friend. I hope to see more movies like this one in the future. I am reminded of how "A Beautiful Mind" was successful in humanizing schizophrenia. These movies are necessary if we want to erase stigma. Hollywood is notorious for sensationalizing and exploiting mental illness in order to sell tickets. In the end, these movies fuel prejudice, fear, shame...the list goes on. Does anyone have any thoughts on how to reach movie studios? I think they need to know when they are producing media that negatively affects those with a mental disorder. Stigma Busters might be a good place to start. I found a site called Media Matters. They aim to monitor and correct misinformation in the media. I commend their efforts, but was surprised to find that they don't even mention mental illness/stigma as an issue. I think I will contact them and see if they can address this issue. Maybe I will just picket the movie studios:) Just thoughts!!
Hi Amber,
ReplyDeleteI think your blog is amazing and I admire your dedication to your brother and to creating an ongoing, educated dialogue about schizophrenia. I'm getting my master's in mental health and am currently doing a research project on schizophrenia in young adults. I would like to use your story (by referencing your blog and the info you share here) to help illustrate this disease to my classmates (many of whom aren't in psychiatric nursing). Is this something you would be open to? Awareness is key and I think my fellow students could learn a lot from your story and your activism. I hope down the road NAMI Hawaii, where I volunteer, will be able to organize art exhibits like yours and other awareness building events. Please let me know what you think of my request. Regardless, thank you for taking the time to write this blog.
Aloha,
KC
KC,
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking interest in a cause that means a lot to me. I am always interested to hear what others think of this issue. I wouldn't mind if you used my story for your project. Awareness in the classroom is especially key. Let me know if you have any questions. If you haven't already, you can learn a little more about me in the following news article:
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=750776
thanks!