Inspiration Through Empathy: Peer Support

A short documentary by a student filmmaker about a peer support group in Kelowna, BC, Canada. A group of mental health consumers meets weekly, views a presentation on a topic of their choice, then breaks into smaller groups to talk about their mental health issues and building wellness. Peer support is different than other support services (not a replacement, it’s complementary to professional services) because it’s a space for people to come together with others who truly understand what it’s like to live with a mental illness, providing empathy, reassurance, and connection that can’t be found any other way.

Come out, Come Out Wherever You Are

A call to shake off shame, come out of the closet and be open about mental health issues in order to fight social stigma. Compelling and well-written narration by Michael Kimber of the Colony of Losers blog, along with slick edited images including examples of famous people known to have psychiatric labels.

What Tsunami Survivors Taught Me About PTSD (post-traumatic stress): Healing on the Warpath

An Indonesian doctor describes post-traumatic stress as the heart of a warrior, and talks about reactions and recovery from different traumatic situations. Stress, fear, depression, rage, and detachment are five core emotions observed in tsunami victims in 2008. He says that post-traumatic stress is an appropriate reaction: “It is normal for people to feel intensely if they have survived a traumatic life event, and it is abnormal if they do not.” He talks about the heart of a warrior and PTSD veterans in war, comparing traumatic reactions from different situations. It’s a call to healing, using rage for the passion needed to rebuild and recover. An interesting perspective on PTSD that provokes thinking about how it fits all types of traumas and how it may be used in recovery.

Major Ed Pulido

A US Army veteran describes what it was like to experience a severe blast injury in the Iraq war that affected him both physically and psychologically. 17 surgeries and many months in hospital saved his body, but it took more than that to heal from PTSD that also resulted. Now retired, he works to inspire others to seek help. The military media campaign Real Warriors profiles a series of veterans who suffered from PTSD and demonstrated the strength to seek assistance in recovery. See all the videos here.

Pamela Meyer: How to spot a liar
An expert in “lie spotting” talks about detection deception and her new book. Implications in corporate fraud and politics are raised, along with social and evolutionary reasons for lying in our “post-truth society.” She reveals some behavioural cues of lying (using methods other than Paul Ekman’s FACS system). Meyer says that although newer neuroimaging methods have value, on a practical level, human interaction with people trained in spotting deception will lead the way to a more truthful society.

RSA Animate – Language as a Window into Human Nature

How the mind turns language into meaning. The voice of linguist Steven Pinker in a wonderfully animated clip from a longer lecture, available here.

Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Four people describe what it’s like to have OCD, describing their symptoms and how things changed in recovery.

Disasters and Mental Health Research

Disasters (both man-made and natural) can have disastrous effects on the large groups of people who experience them. A researcher talks about the long term psychological effects of 9/11, and how scientists have studied the best methods to identify and help people at risk of developing PTSD. Complete transcript accompanying video.

Why Do We Dream?

People who study dreaming to find out why we dream have found several potential answers: they help keep us asleep, they contribute to good mental health, and they help us find answers to questions we seek. But what do they mean, and can we control them? This excellent documentary interviews scientists, dreamers, and people with sleep and dream disorders to find out more about this always fascinating subject.

Cordelia Fine: Delusions of Gender

Sex differences in the brain are sexist, argues this psychologist, in a rousing talk on neuroscience and sexism. Theories involving fetal testosterone, multitasking, and other science standbys are criticized. An appearance at the 2010 Festival of Dangerous Ideas at the Sydney Opera House. See also: a debate on science and gender between Elizabeth Spelke and Stephen Pinker.