Human Services: Multimedia

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If hindsight is 20:20, this three-part series offers some very clear-eyed advice by young adults who have wrestled with addiction and won. Combined with the comments of addiction specialists, these straight-talking testimonials make a strong anti-substance abuse statement that will resonate with kids and teens alike. A Cambridge Educational Production. 3-part series, 20-22 minutes each.

This program introduces viewers to a group of patients at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto who benefit from participating in a weekly drum circle. Linda, Nathan, and the others speak candidly about the challenges of living with schizophrenia, and for the one hour that they bang on percussion instruments they experience a calm that is otherwise difficult to attain. The video follows as Linda goes on to form an advocacy group, Nathan is released and vows to shun drugs, and Laura looks forward to an outpatient visit with her family. In addition, the staff at CAMH - who enjoy the drumming as much as their clients do - provide a clinical overview of schizophrenia and discuss the need for supportive community housing.

This intimate documentary offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between creativity and mental illness through the life and artwork of painter Isti Kaldor. At age 19, Kaldor experienced his first manic break while attending medical school, received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and began painting soon afterward. Eleven years and 13 manic episodes later - four of which occurred during the filming of this documentary - Kaldor sees painting as both creative expression and a way to communicate. Throughout the program he narrates his inner experience as it happens and tries to make sense of how his moods influence his perceptions of the world. As Kaldor discusses the social stigma of bipolar disorder and the grandiose delusions that can precede its manic phase, the power of art becomes increasingly clear.

The issues surrounding attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, are fiercely debated. Who decides when rambunctious behavior has become a psychiatric concern? Do the benefits of Ritalin outweigh its risks? Is ADHD even a true disorder, or just another way for pharmaceutical companies to make money? This program speaks with students diagnosed with ADHD and to nearly a dozen medical and academic experts about its identification and treatment. Pediatrics professor William B. Carey believes that ADHD is being overdiagnosed, and Dr. William Pelham describes a successful treatment plan based on behavior modification - even as young people with ADHD praise the positive results of taking their meds. Other topics include genetic factors, medication risks, teachers as diagnosticians, and the centuries-long history of medicalizing hyperactivity