Explore the crisis of suicide, including risk factors and prevention strategies.
Outline
Facing Suicide combines the poignant personal stories of people impacted by suicide with profiles of scientists at the forefront of research to reveal new insights into one of America’s most pressing mental health crises. Shining a light on this difficult topic can destigmatise suicide while revealing that there is help as well as hope for those at risk and their loved ones.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
If you are considering suicide, or if you or someone you know is in emotional crisis, please call or text 988. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centres that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
This raw documentary sees Busted’s Matt Willis open up about his struggles with addiction and the pressure it puts on his family, as well as looking into what helps him and others stay clean.
Outline
Musician, actor and dad of three Matt Willis may seem to have it all. He’s part of the hugely successful noughties pop band, Busted, has a flourishing acting career and is happily married to TV presenter Emma Willis, with whom he has three kids. But behind the success, there is one thing that often dominates his thoughts – his addictions. In this raw and honest documentary, Matt opens up about his past and takes an extensive look into his battle with drugs and alcohol, how it has pushed him to the edge, and his daily struggle to keep himself clean and sober. Matt talks about how he constantly lives with the fear of relapse and the pressure that puts on himself and his family.
The film looks back at some of Matt’s darkest days as he begins to explore what could be behind his addiction. Through meeting and talking with others, he tries to understand why he and fellow addicts become dependent on drugs and alcohol, what help is available, and what the latest developments in treatment are. Matt and his brother revisit their childhood home to see if the roots of his addictions can be found in their past.
He visits the rehab unit on the south coast that made a real difference to his recovery and where he spent four weeks in 2008 before his marriage to Emma Willis, coming out the day before his wedding, clean and sober. He joins a meeting at the centre, talking with current clients about their addiction and recovery experiences. Matt also travels to Imperial College London to meet a research team who are studying the differences between the brains of people in addiction and those of people who aren’t, and looks at treatments to help people in the long and often difficult road to recovery.
As well as his personal journey, the film captures the unwavering support Matt has from his bandmates, friends and family, in particular his wife Emma. Together, he and Emma travel to a leading charity in Glasgow that supports the relatives of addicts. Here, they meet the children, parents and spouses of people struggling with addictions.
Matt’s exploration of his addictions in this film comes at a time when he and Busted are preparing for their reunion tour, an environment that in the past has put him at risk of relapse. Can he get himself to a place where he feels comfortable and confident going on tour, and remain clean and sober? And through looking into the various possible reasons for his addictions, as well as some of the methods available to help ease them, can he help himself and others find peace in their daily battle with addiction?
“How Mad Are You?” is a two-part 2008 BBC Horizon/Discovery Channel Co-Production produced and directed by Rob Liddell.
Part of the BBC’s Horizon documentary series.
The programme was recreated in 2018 by SBS for Australian TV.
UK Version (BBC)Australian Version (SBS)
Outline (UK Version)
Ten Britons spend a week together. Five have a history of mental illness. Five do not. The question is – Who’s Who?
The programme explores the relationship between character traits and mental illness and considers the social implications of inaccurate diagnosis of the latter. Ten volunteers, five of whom have been previously diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, are observed and interviewed by a panel of three mental health experts who then venture their diagnoses. The experts include a psychiatrist, a professor of clinical psychology, and a psychiatric nurse. The volunteers and experts have no prior knowledge about one another, and were brought together for this one week study.
The program was inspired by the 1972 “Rosenhan Experiment,” in which the American psychologist David Rosenhan and several associates feigned auditory hallucinations in order to have themselves admitted to psychiatric hospitals. Eight of these “pseudopatients” were diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. Although they ceased displaying any symptoms once admitted to a hospital, they were detained for between 17 and 52 days. None were recognised by hospital staff. The experiment’s results, published in Science in 1973,1 raised questions about the validity of psychiatric diagnosis.
Second part of the special documentary considering where the line between sanity and madness lies as ten volunteers come together for an extraordinary test.
With five ‘normal’ volunteers and five who have been officially diagnosed as mentally ill, Horizon asks if you can tell who is who.
New two-part SBS documentary series How ‘Mad’ Are You? addresses mental illness in a way never seen before on Australian television. Ten Australians, from all backgrounds and ages spend a week together. Five have a history of mental illness. Five do not. Who is who?
This ground breaking two-part series will address the issue of mental illness in a way never seen before on Australian television.
Around one in five Australians experience mental illness every year. Despite the scale of the problem – the stigma remains.
Ten Australians with diverse backgrounds and from right across the country, have all agreed to take part in a bold and daring study in the hope of breaking down this stigma.
Five of them have been diagnosed as being mentally unwell, five have not; the question is – Who’s Who?
Over the next week, they will take part in a series of specially designed tests.
The group will be under the gaze of experts who face the daunting task of working out who has been diagnosed as mentally ill and who has not.
The experts are putting their professional reputations on the line, and the ten risk being labelled with a mental illness they don’t have. It is all in the name of breaking down stigma and exploring where the fine line between being ‘well’ and ‘mentally ill’ lies.
Each episode delves into the relationship between character traits and mental illness, and considers the social implications arising from the diagnosis of mental illness.
The series will explore major disorders including Clinical Depression, Social Anxiety Disorder, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Anorexia Nervosa.
The question of who is ‘mad’ and who is not goes to the core of how we see ourselves, and how we see others in Australia today.
Crucially the volunteers who take part are ultimately living proof that a history of mental illness does not have to define you or make you ‘other’ in today’s society.
“How Mad Are You?” is a two-part 2008 BBC Horizon/Discovery Channel Co-Production produced and directed by Rob Liddell.
Part of the BBC’s Horizon documentary series.
The programme was recreated in 2018 by SBS for Australian TV.
UK Version (BBC)Australian Version (SBS)
Outline (UK Version)
Ten Britons spend a week together. Five have a history of mental illness. Five do not. The question is – Who’s Who?
The programme explores the relationship between character traits and mental illness and considers the social implications of inaccurate diagnosis of the latter. Ten volunteers, five of whom have been previously diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, are observed and interviewed by a panel of three mental health experts who then venture their diagnoses. The experts include a psychiatrist, a professor of clinical psychology, and a psychiatric nurse. The volunteers and experts have no prior knowledge about one another, and were brought together for this one week study.
The program was inspired by the 1972 “Rosenhan Experiment,” in which the American psychologist David Rosenhan and several associates feigned auditory hallucinations in order to have themselves admitted to psychiatric hospitals. Eight of these “pseudopatients” were diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. Although they ceased displaying any symptoms once admitted to a hospital, they were detained for between 17 and 52 days. None were recognised by hospital staff. The experiment’s results, published in Science in 1973,1 raised questions about the validity of psychiatric diagnosis.
First of a two-part special. Ten volunteers have come together for an extraordinary test. Five are ‘normal’ and the other five have been officially diagnosed as mentally ill. Horizon asks if you can tell who is who, and considers where the line between sanity and madness lies.
New two-part SBS documentary series How ‘Mad’ Are You? addresses mental illness in a way never seen before on Australian television. Ten Australians, from all backgrounds and ages spend a week together. Five have a history of mental illness. Five do not. Who is who?
This ground breaking two-part series will address the issue of mental illness in a way never seen before on Australian television.
Around one in five Australians experience mental illness every year. Despite the scale of the problem – the stigma remains.
Ten Australians with diverse backgrounds and from right across the country, have all agreed to take part in a bold and daring study in the hope of breaking down this stigma.
Five of them have been diagnosed as being mentally unwell, five have not; the question is – Who’s Who?
Over the next week, they will take part in a series of specially designed tests.
The group will be under the gaze of experts who face the daunting task of working out who has been diagnosed as mentally ill and who has not.
The experts are putting their professional reputations on the line, and the ten risk being labelled with a mental illness they don’t have. It is all in the name of breaking down stigma and exploring where the fine line between being ‘well’ and ‘mentally ill’ lies.
Each episode delves into the relationship between character traits and mental illness, and considers the social implications arising from the diagnosis of mental illness.
The series will explore major disorders including Clinical Depression, Social Anxiety Disorder, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Anorexia Nervosa.
The question of who is ‘mad’ and who is not goes to the core of how we see ourselves, and how we see others in Australia today.
Crucially the volunteers who take part are ultimately living proof that a history of mental illness does not have to define you or make you ‘other’ in today’s society.
Follows the stories of various people as they tackle the fear and stigma plaguing the mental health community.
Outline
10 brave kids, 2 Emmy award winning journalists, 1 clinical psychologist at Columbia University and 1 determined mother take on the fear and stigma plaguing the mental health community.
RTÉ Investigates the lack of regulation of psychologists in the private sector where families of young children are forced to seek help because of long public waiting lists.
Outline
Reporter Barry O’Kelly shows how easy it is to call yourself a psychologist in Ireland today.
You can read comments made by the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) here (PDF, external link) regarding the programme.
A documentary about the mental health crisis among youth in America.
Outline (General)
Mental illness is one of the most significant health crises in the world – as pervasive as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease – but it often exists in secret and is endured in isolation. It is the place where sadness leaves off, and depression begins; where nervousness becomes anxiety; excitement becomes mania, and habit becomes addiction. It’s the place where simply living becomes painful.
It affects all ages, in families both rich and poor, healthy and dysfunctional. Trauma can be the trigger – from personal crises such as divorce and neglect to environmental disasters, racial injustice, and pandemics. Over time, the symptoms can progress, and lead to increasingly extreme behaviours – like eating disorders, self-harm, and thoughts of suicide.
The issues surrounding mental illness are extraordinarily complex. The risk factors are daunting, the economics bewildering, and the politics contentious. But the most important step – and often the most difficult one – is to start talking about it. Hiding in Plain Sight will bring that conversation into homes, schools, the workplace, and community organisations across the country.
The two-part, four-hour film follows the journeys of more than 20 young Americans from all over the country and all walks of life, who have struggled with thoughts and feelings that have troubled – and, at times – overwhelmed them. They share what they have learned about themselves, their families, and the world in which they live. Through first-person accounts, the film presents an unstinting look at both the seemingly insurmountable obstacles faced by those who live with mental disorders and the hope that many have found after that storm. In the process, they will directly confront the issues of stigma, discrimination, awareness, and silence, and, in doing so, support the ongoing shift in the public perception of mental illness today.
Outline (Part 02)
Our “heroes” speak about finding help and inpatient and/or outpatient treatment. It also explores the criminalization of mental illness, tragedy of youth suicide, and “double stigma” that occurs when mental illness is combined with racial or gender discrimination. Throughout, the interviewees demonstrate the power of resiliency and hope.
A documentary about the mental health crisis among youth in America.
Outline (General)
Mental illness is one of the most significant health crises in the world – as pervasive as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease – but it often exists in secret and is endured in isolation. It is the place where sadness leaves off, and depression begins; where nervousness becomes anxiety; excitement becomes mania, and habit becomes addiction. It’s the place where simply living becomes painful.
It affects all ages, in families both rich and poor, healthy and dysfunctional. Trauma can be the trigger – from personal crises such as divorce and neglect to environmental disasters, racial injustice, and pandemics. Over time, the symptoms can progress, and lead to increasingly extreme behaviours – like eating disorders, self-harm, and thoughts of suicide.
The issues surrounding mental illness are extraordinarily complex. The risk factors are daunting, the economics bewildering, and the politics contentious. But the most important step – and often the most difficult one – is to start talking about it. Hiding in Plain Sight will bring that conversation into homes, schools, the workplace, and community organisations across the country.
The two-part, four-hour film follows the journeys of more than 20 young Americans from all over the country and all walks of life, who have struggled with thoughts and feelings that have troubled – and, at times – overwhelmed them. They share what they have learned about themselves, their families, and the world in which they live. Through first-person accounts, the film presents an unstinting look at both the seemingly insurmountable obstacles faced by those who live with mental disorders and the hope that many have found after that storm. In the process, they will directly confront the issues of stigma, discrimination, awareness, and silence, and, in doing so, support the ongoing shift in the public perception of mental illness today.
Outline (Part 01)
Focuses on more than twenty young people who provide an intimate look at what it’s like to experience the symptoms of mental illness, from depression to addiction to suicide ideation. The film includes insights from families, providers, and advocates and explores the impact of childhood trauma, stigma, and social media.
Mental Health Matters 
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