Hidden Pictures

About 150 people attended the free screening of “Hidden Pictures” and discussion with Dr. Jaswant Bhopal, a psychiatrist at Richmond Hospital.

Hidden Pictures: a personal journey into global mental health” is directed by Delaney Ruston, a Seattle physician, whose father battled Schizophrenia. The film explores questions such as how do families cope in countries where 80% of people with mental illness go without treatment? What happens when cultural framing of mental illness conflicts with potentially more effective treatments? How can a person be involuntarily hospitalized with no right to appeal, as is the case in half the world?

After the film, Dr. Bophal shared numerous insights into the stigma around mental health, and the many causes, and challenges of it. One of the many highlights of his discussion was a case study of a middle aged man getting increasingly depressed and his family and friends being less and less effective at supporting him. The study was made all the more poignant when Dr. Bhopal shared that it had been written 2500 years ago! The doctor with the lilting Scottish accent, also talked about his work with mental health clients at Richmond Hospital using breath work and yoga, in addition to more traditional modalities, and answered a variety of questions from the audience.

The event was organized as part of Mental Health Week by the Canadian Mental Health Association – Richmond Branch Pathways, Vancouver Coastal Health – Richmond; and Richmond Mental Health Consumer and Friends Society.