Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018, Student Wellness screened a film at 7 p.m. in Hoover 212, the Case Study Room, on the subject of self-harm.
The film, entitled “Beyond Silence,” was directed by Shaul Schwarz and produced by Demi Lovato as a part of the campaign Lovato launched in 2015 to increase mental health awareness.
The campaign is called Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health. It works alongside five leading mental health advocacy organizations and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. to encourage people to be honest and open about their mental health.
Lovato began the organization after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. For years before her diagnosis, Lovato struggled with substance abuse, eating disorders and self-harm. She spent much of her time feeling detached from others and depressed.
“Getting a diagnosis was kind of a relief,” Lovato said in the documentary. “It helped me start to make sense of the harmful things I was doing to cope with what I was experiencing.”
Since then, she has been very vocal about her own mental health, and has made a point of sharing her story beyond founding Be Vocal, so people going through similar experiences will realize there is something to be done and that it can get better.
“Beyond Silence” is available on the Be Vocal website and focuses on the stories of three individuals and their journeys to becoming mental health awareness advocates.
Jeff Fink is the first of the three people featured closely in the documentary. Fink suffered from persistent and severe depression and anxiety. At his lowest point, he asked his father to fly him to a state where physician-assisted suicide was legal, so he would be able to end his life.
Fink was able to recover largely through focusing on what would alleviate his stress and tension. For Fink, spending time in nature was helpful, but above all, his recovery was most assisted by his mental health service dog: a golden retriever named Earl.
After realizing how beneficial Earl was to his mental health, Fink founded Go Fetch Wellness, an organization dedicated to informing others about how helpful emotional support animals can be to those suffering with mental health issues.
The documentary also shared the story of Lauren Burke, an attorney and one of the co-founders of Atlas: DIY, an organization that works with immigrant youth to unlock access to legal services, learning opportunities and leadership development.
Burke, an embodiment of success, was even on Forbes’ 30 under 30: Law & Policy list. From an outside perspective, her life was entirely together, which was largely why she spent a long time struggling with depression and self-harm.
Burke believed that everyone dealt with the problems she has, but others were just stronger than she was. It was not until much later that she sought help from a therapist, and only recently before the filming of the documentary that she was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder.
The last person featured in the film was Lloyd Hale. Hale spent most of his life struggling with schizophrenia, but was unaware that the conversations inside his head all day were abnormal.
Hale’s life underwent a chaotic change when he shot and killed his mother’s fiance after having heard her voice telling him that her boyfriend wanted to die but did not want to kill himself. Thinking he was helping his mother and providing support for his family, in a way that no one else could, Hale listened to this voice.
He was sent to prison, where it was realized that he had schizophrenia. He was moved to a state hospital after being declared not guilty by reason of insanity. After being diagnosed, Hale thought his life was over. He believed he could not work and would never be able to date, but meeting people in the hospital who were able to continue their lives inspired him.
Now, Hale is a husband, father, certified peer specialist and the founder of RIDE 4 S.P.M.I. (Ride 4 Serious and Persistent Mental Illness), a 210-mile bike ride across South Carolina to raise awareness for mental illness.
After the film, assistant professor of psychology Dr. Ian MacFarlane led a discussion about it. After some discussion about the film, people’s perception of mental illnesses and generational differences in impressions on the subject, he asked what should be done. The consensus was that it is important to be open and honest about mental health.
“We should be taking mental health as seriously as physical illness,” first-year Austin Hall said. “Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t going on.”
Due to the invisibility of many mental illnesses, there is an added vitality to honest communication between family and friends.
“It’s important to make the time to prioritize and check in with people, even if you’re running late,” sophomore Sara Holsing said.
Sophomore and member of the Student Wellness Advocacy Group (SWAG) Nia Vick concluded the evening by reminding students that above all what is important when listening to a friend is “being a support and validating what people are feeling.”
“Say that you hear them, and acknowledge what they’re saying, even if you really can’t understand what they are going through,” Vick continued.
For those who would like to speak to someone about their mental health or life in general, Counseling Services are free and available to all Elizabethtown College students, and they offer a range of counseling and mental health support services. The offices are located in the Baugher Student Center, Suite 216, and hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Students can schedule appointments in person or by calling 717-361-1405. In emergency cases, they will accept walk-ins. In the case of an emergency after 5 p.m. or on the weekend, students should call Campus Security at 717-361-1111.
