Bi-Polar Comedy at TED

Mental dis-ease continues its slow walk out of the closet.

Tags: Self-Help Mental Illness Depression

Voluntary Madness :: a New Book About Depression

A new book about depression and possibly a 'review' of the state of the psych industry.

Here's an interview with the author by Mother Jones Radio podcast.

Though I've never been hospitalized, feel as though I know enough about how psychology and psychiatry are practiced to know the hospitals can't be doing very well by their patients.

[source]
[mp3 link]
[NY Times Review]







Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Hope's Messengers Screening 1/30/09 in Boston

Teaser for Joe Pantoliano's documentary on mental illness. Joey Pants, founder and president of No Kidding, Me Too! (NKM2.org), is fighting the stigma on brain dis-ease. Coming in 2009. Teaser premiered on August 25, 2008 at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Produced at Palace Digital Studios in South Norwalk, CT. Edited by Ben Churchill and David Russell. Executive Produced by Joe Pantoliano and Chris Campbell.

Go HERE to learn more about the screening and Joey's movement to remove the stigma from mental illness.

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Dissociative Identity Disorder :: DID :: Multiple Personality

As part of the research for the WLOLL documentary, found this video up @ YouTube that seems to explain it in true words.

Here's a link to Oxnam's book, "A Fractured Mind" @ Amazon.com:

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Depression and Stigma :: Doing Something About It

Thanks, Joey.

From Joey's site, No Kidding, Me Too:

No Kidding, Me Too! is a nonprofit organization comprised of entertainment industry members united in an effort to educate Americans about the epidemic related to brain dis-ease in all forms. Through this enlightenment we will teach those suffering from it, and their loved ones who are victims of it, to talk about it openly. The goal is to tear this stigma out of the closet so these people will be surprised to find millions of others like themselves and say, "No Kidding, Me Too!"

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

On Depression, Hope, Recovery, Psychology & Antidepressants

.:. Survivor .:.

Be My Friend - http://www.myspace.com/psychtruth On Depression, Hope, Recovery, Psychology & Antidepressants Dr. John Breeding, Ph.D. Psychologist discusses how to help people with mental health problems and psychological issues w/out buying into the biological psychiatry approach that a person has an incurable mental illness or mental disorder. Coalition for the Abolition of Electroshock in Texas http://www.endofshock.com/ This video was edited by Psychetruth. http://www.youtube.com/psychetruth http://www.myspace.com/psychtruth PsycheTruth is empowered by TubeMogul http://www.tubemogul.com Copyright 2008 CAEST. All Rights Reserved. This video may be displayed in public, copied and redistributed for any strictly non-commercial use in its entire unedited form. Alteration or commercial use is strictly prohibited.  

Formats available: Microsoft Video (.avi), Flash Video (.flv)

Tags: depression, hope, recovery, psychology, antidepressants, mental, health, psychiatry, illness, disorder, help, electroshock

Doug Sends a Video Email

Click To Play

Delighted to introduce you to Doug. We've known of one anothers' work in video for a couple of years, and in that time have had more than a few deep conversations.

Now the conversation gets deeper.

The Harry Harlow clip that's mentioned may be found HERE.

Doug's is a moving statement on the nature of lovelessness.

Emotional abuse. Each time I name it, the thing has less power.

I admire and aspire to his comfort level with the subject matter.

Cruelty begets cruelty.

From what plant comes its seeds?

Rumor has it some of the social services folks have some ongoing cultural expeditions engaged. Look forward to getting the skinny on all of that. Very exciting and innovative thinking going on. Stay tuned.

Do you suppose a layperson could attend conferences on the subject at hand in order to conduct interviews?

My generation missed the benefits of such places and people. It does my heart good to know things change and grow; as have I.

[Quicktime | .m4v | Flash]

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Process :: a Film Making Model for This Project?

This is "Four-Eyed Monsters" and their approach to film making in the digital age.

I'm scared, but will not allow the fear to stop me.

NOTE: The last two Mission Statement videos (#1 / #2) were created using varying levels / styles of filmic anonymity. Trying to find a style that works. Color for sure. The crawl? What do you think?

Listening to them again, see that I'm hopefully giving just enough of my story for you to have faith in me, to establish a bit of street cred.

With the publication of these videos I publicly come out of the depression closet. Dang. This is big. Only came out to my family two years ago. It's all good.

Hi. My name is Jan and I'm a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and associated depression. I am as successful as a human being as I am capable of being. I've made a life with depression for myself. A life that works.

I want to speak with others who have mastered the craft of living with - not despite - depression. How do YOU do it?

Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Stephen Petranek @ TED :: Depression

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Scientist Stephen Petranek speaks at TED saying (among other things) that clinical depression affects one in five world wide, and proposes that dealing with this issue is 10th most important in a list of 10 things that could end the world as we know it. A wee bit apocalyptic but...something to think about.

What bothers me is that he characterizes depression as a treatable disease - treatable with talk therapy and drugs yet to be created.

What do you think about current modalities of treatment? I don't think either - even together - do much good.


Tags: Self-Help Art Depression

Documenting Depression :: CAUTION :: ONE S*XUAL IMAGE

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CAUTION: about a minute in there's a kinda s*xual image. You might want to close your eyes if you're feeling raw.

I can usually pump out videos pretty darned quick. This one took a long time. It's not perfect. It feels dangerous.

Based on previous experience, seeing how whiney and pathetic I am when in the throes of depression will eventually help me understand its mechanics better.

I have a long-term documentary video project that I'm hoping this web site and the community that grows around it will help me finish. It's called "The World's Longest Open Love Letter" and was in its earliest states, a series of meditations on anger, then love, and now, on action.

Creating the "Anger" painting below opened me up to the possibility that art could help me heal.

Subscribers and visitors to this site as witnesses to the process of healing. Witnesses healed and grown by virtue of the gift of granting forgiveness to the innocent.

Lots of books, plays & films have been released in the last few years on the subject of the sexual exploitation of children by adults. I've already collected them and will share links to all of them here.

My "World's Longest Open Love Letter" project will be a day late and ten cents short, but the point is to make it. The point is the process of making it.

Wish me luck.

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