Case of lost schizophrenic brother takes hard look at societal response to mental illness in ‘Insanity: The Mental Health Crisis’
No beds, no backup, no brother.
What is it wrong with us as a system, as a society, that we can't seem to do better by the people we're supposed to love than this?
Filmmaker Wendy Hill-Tout has neither seen nor heard of or from Bruce in more than 25 years.
He is (was? she doesn't know if he's alive or not) her brother, diagnosed as schizophrenic. In the movie we see footage of Bruce making art - what a gift. Now? Nothing.
Bruce had a normal childhood, but in his 20s developed the illness. At one point he ended up in Florida, eating out of garbage cans, when he was picked up by police and brought to a hospital. It was the first time the family found out Bruce had an illness - schizophrenia.
And theirs is not an isolated case.
Hill-Tout's new movie, premiering in Hamilton Monday, May 29, at 7 p.m. is called Insanity: The Mental Health Crisis," and the title pointedly invites us into the ambiguity of that flag word. Insanity? Those with mental health challenges or the failure of our response to them?
The movie, which has been winning glowing praise for its candour, insight and compassion, is both a point of view documentary about a family dealing with a harrowing ordeal and a cross-examination of our institutional (and societal) shortcomings.
It has a special relevance for Marvin Ross, an outspoken advocate for mental health reform, blogger and founder of Bridgeross Communication, the acclaimed publishing house specializing in mental health literature.
His son David, in his 40s now, is schizophrenic and has been since high school.
Ross has been invited to and will be appearing at the screening, at The Playhouse on Sherman, of Insanity: The Mental Health Crisis," to participate in the question and answer portion of the event, which will also feature an appearance by the director.
He's doing relatively well now," says Ross of his son, adding with a wry tone in his voice, but only in part because the hospital is scared of me." The hospital being St. Josephs West 5th.
Our experience," says Ross of his family's struggles, (has) not been as horrific as the director's but her point is about the treatment of people with serious mental illness in our society. It is failing miserably.
The whole homelessness situation," adds Ross, is a demonstration of how badly we do. There are no (not enough) beds in the hospitals, not sufficient staff or community programs. They get people stabilized in hospital then let them out" without proper followup.
He says he read a story recently in The Spectator about a man who was taken by his family to a doctor whereupon the doctor had to call the police as the man was having a psychotic episode.
It took six cops to get him into a cruiser and take him to ER, where they had to strap him to a gurney." It was that serious, and so how long did he stay in hospital? He was discharged after only a few hours," says Ross.
These are the kinds of critical-care weaknesses that the film addresses, both through a wider societal lens and through the microscope under which the director movingly puts her own relationship with her lost brother.
We need good programs (for aftercare and such once discharge happens) and a decent income on Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), explaining that $1,200 a month is not close to enough.
The film, which has been showing around the country this week, from Victoria to Ottawa, asks that timeless existential question, Oh, brother, where art thou?" Not only as it applies to Bruce's whereabouts but as it applies to our failure as brothers' and sisters" and such, each to one another. A failure so deep as to reframe the falling-through-the-cracks-in-the-system metaphor. The cracks, it seems, are the system.
Says Ross, Of the availability of psychiatric beds in 35 countries looked at, Canada is 29th."
Insanity: The Mental Health Crisis" - screening at The Playhouse cinema, 177 Sherman Ave. N., 7 p.m., Monday, May 29.
Jeff Mahoney is a Hamilton-based reporter and columnist covering culture and lifestyle stories, commentary and humour for The Spectator.jmahoney@thespec.com