The Department of Psychiatry held its fourth annual movie night during Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) at the Hippodrome in downtown Gainesville on October 8th. As part of activities scheduled for MIAW the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Florida screens a movie which focuses on mental illness followed by a discussion moderated by a faculty member from the department.
This year the Department of Psychiatry partnered with PALS THRIVE to screen Not Alone, a documentary by Jacqueline Monetta, a student driven by the desire to understand why her best friend killed herself. With the sharp increase in teenage suicide in past years, especially in Alachua County, where the rate of completed suicides among youths ages 12-17 increased to 27 per 100,000. UF Psychiatry and PALS THRIVE felt this was an important and timely movie to screen for Mental Illness Awareness Week.
An art exhibit was also held as part of the evening with works of art created by members of the AnArtists community group with mental illness as a part of their recovery. Several artists were in attendance to speak about their art work and how it has helped them on their journey of recovery.
“UF Health Psychiatry is delighted about the great community turn-out for this stigma-busting movie. We appreciate partnering with NAMI, PALS THRIVE and AnArtists to offer this opportunity for discussion, learning and outreach.”
– Regina Bussing, MD; Chair, UF Department of Psychiatry
Please enjoy these photos from the event
