Real talk about mental illness: 6 docs to watch

One of five Canadians will be diagnosed with mental illness. Here are some of their stories.

CBC · Posted: May 03, 2021 1:41 PM EDT | Last Updated: May 1, 2023

Profile shot of man with his head in his hands sitting in a chair against a blue brick background. (iStock)

One in five Canadians will be diagnosed with a mental illness during their lifetime.

Here are six documentaries that delve into the reality of mental illness — now streaming on CBC Gem.

Lost on Arrival: Me, the Mounties & PTSD

After years as a CBC News reporter, heading into natural disasters, wars and wreckage to get the story, something shook loose in Curt Petrovich. When he came home after reporting on the devastating 2013 typhoon in the Philippines, he was a different person — a stranger in his own home.

As Petrovich copes with his debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder, he also investigates the role that PTSD played in the testimony of the Mounties charged in the death of Robert Dziekanski in October 2007 at the Vancouver airport.

Declutter

When filmmaker Madison Thomas is going through a rough time, she feels the sudden urge to clean, and realizes that she's more like her mom than she ever thought. Her mother survived a traumatic childhood and cleaning offers moments of control that she didn't have as a child. They say trauma is passed from one generation to the next; perhaps scrubbing and wiping and rinsing is one way to mend the cycles of pain in their family.

Breaking Loneliness

Being lonely in a world of people has sometimes been labelled an epidemic in modern society. "I think it's really important people are not embarrassed to admit they are lonely. I think there's a taboo we don't want to say we're lonely," says filmmaker Brandy Yanchyk.

According to Yanchyk, loneliness is a social epidemic impacting all age groups around the world, a problem that is now exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. She talks to real people who are finding ways to escape loneliness and social isolation by creating their own communities.

What's Your Ailment?! With Maria Bamford

In a unique style of talk show, comedian Maria Bamford speaks to other entertainers about mental health, starting with the question "What's your ailment?" Taking a deep dive into their own mental health experiences, they normalize the once-taboo topic. From comedian Aparna Nancherla (BoJack Horseman) to writer and comedian Tom Arnold, entertainers find a common ground and laughter in their challenges with mental health.

Fourth Period Burnout

Three teens talk about how they're overwhelmed by high expectations and a pressure to succeed. School, homework, extra-curricular and part-time work are sending our youth towards burnout and looking for ways to manage their stress.

Digging in the Dirt

Suicide is the number one killer of men under 49. Digging In The Dirt explores the mental health crisis affecting Albertan oil and gas workers, their families and communities. Co-director Omar Mouallem discovered that these jobs demanded long hours, camp-culture isolation, and propagated a deep-rooted emphasis on toxic masculinity. "It's work hard, play harder," he says, and in an industry so filled with machismo, many are hesitant to ask for help. The film features the stories of several men who, weighed down by depression, anxiety and drugs, felt there was no other solution than to take their lives.