Abolishing mental health stigmas is becoming increasingly popular, and Vandal Health Education is keeping the conversation going with their monthly mental health film series.
The film, “Goodbye Christopher Robin,” will be shown 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the University of Idaho Agricultural Science Building. The event is free and snacks will be provided.
Amanda Ferstead | Vandal Health Education
After the screening, there will be a discussion of the film and representation of mental health in the media, as well as an opportunity to ask questions to campus resources.
Amanda Ferstead, Vandal Health Education mental health program coordinator, said mental health is of upmost importance because it is a part of overall wellness.
“If mental health is not being treated the same way as physical health, it can be problematic,” she said. “Attitudes are changing about mental health on college campuses and in larger communities, and this film series is a chance to make conversations a little bit easier.”
Ferstead said the film series was created last semester when UI students showed interest in talking about mental health, but were unsure how to go about those conversations.
Members of Vandal Health Education and the UI Counseling and Testing Center thought initiating conversations through the lens of a film series would be a more interesting and successful way to reach students, she said.
“It is important for students to have an opportunity to talk about mental health and gain a deeper understanding of it,” she said.
Ferstead said she looks for films that are strongly recognized — most often winners of the Voice Awards hosted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. All of the films are prescreened and researched to see how they fit into the conversation of mental health.
“Goodbye Christopher Robin” is not solely about a mental health disorder, but has an underlying focus on mental health as a whole. The story follows A.A. Milne, author of “Winnie-the-Pooh,” after his return from serving in World War I, Ferstead said.
Although it was not formally known as post-traumatic stress disorder at the time, the film shows some of the effects of a traumatic event, she said.
“On one hand, the series is about increasing awareness about mental health and fostering those conversations about it,” Ferstead said. “On the other hand, it is a nice opportunity to see how mental health is portrayed in the media and how that might shape our ideas of what mental health is.”
Allison Spain can be reached at [email protected]