In the movie “Back from Madness” (access through link above) you will be introduced to four individuals diagnosed with serious forms of mental illness–Todd, a homeless man with Bipolar I disorder (manic depression), Naomi, a student with Schizophrenia, a young musician with Major Depressive Disorder, and a middle-aged photographer with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Please reflect on the movie, and briefly answer the following questions. T

You can use the first person “I”, as I am asking you about your opinions/reflections.

1) Given the descriptions of the mental illnesses in your text, lecture and what you have heard or seen before in the media about these illnesses, was there anything that surprised you about how the individuals in the film came across? For example, did you have a specific idea of how a person with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder might look or act, and how did these individuals either confirm your earlier ideas or run contrary to them?

2) Select one of the characters In the film and briefly describe the degree you feel that you can relate to that person–are there are parts of them that feel similar to parts of you? Which ones? Is their way of thinking or being completely foreign to you?

3) Now imagine that you woke up tomorrow displaying the symptoms of that person’s illness. (Most of the mental illnesses displayed in the film have an average age of onset between 18 and 25–around the age most of you are now.)How might this effect your sense of who you are and what you do day-to-day right now? How might this change the way that you perceive the possibilities for your future as you have always seen them? How do you think the relationships you have with friends and family would change?

4) For the character you just selected, think about the form of treatment they received. Do you feel, if you were in their condition, you would be willing to try it? Why or why not?

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