By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
National Mental Health Awareness Week is observed each year during the first full week in October.
Mental illness is a medical condition, but it is often surrounded by stigma or stereotypes that prevent people from getting the help they need.
One in five adults experiences a mental illness in any given year, according to NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness. MHAW is a time to come together to fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for equal care.
NAMI Hays, along with NAMI On Campus at Fort Hays State University, will host a special event Monday, Oct. 3, 6-8 p.m. at the Hays Public Library, 1205 Main. The public is invited to watch the Spike Lee executive-produced movie Touched With Fire. Popcorn will be provided.
Touched with Fire stars Katie Holmes and Luke Kirby as two poets with bipolar disorder whose art is fueled by their emotional extremes. When they meet in a treatment facility, their chemistry is instant and intense, pushing each other’s mania to new heights. They pursue their passions, swinging from fantastical highs to tormented lows, both of which place them on the edge of disaster. They must ultimately choose between each other and stability.
Inspired by the filmmaker’s own struggles with bipolar disorder, Paul Dalio wrote, directed, edited and scored his feature film debut. The film also includes performances by Griffin Dunne, Christine Lahti and Bruce Altman with a cameo by Kay Jamison, author of the book Touched with Fire, a definitive work on creativity and mental health. The film is produced by Jeremy Alter and Kristina Nikolova and executive produced by Spike Lee.
Discussion of the film will move to the FHSU Memorial Union Starbucks beginning at 8 p.m.
Facts about mental illness in America, along with resources for more information and how to get help, will be shared at both locations.
Approximately half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by the age of 14. Unfortunately, long delays−sometimes decades−often occur between the time symptoms first appear and when people get help. Early identification and treatment is important.
For more information about NAMI Hays, check their Facebook page, website, or call or text Ann Leiker, coordinator of the NAMI Hays Resource Center at (785) 259-6859. The NAMI Hays Resource Center is located in the Center for Life Experiences, 2900 Hall Street.
(Disclosure: Becky Kiser is a member of the NAMI Hays Steering Committee.)
