Me, Myself & Mental Health: a documentary

The event, held at King’s House on Ampthill road, attracted over seventy individuals ranging from mental health professionals and advocates to family members whose lives had been severely effected by mental health and those who were featured in the documentary.

The documentary, titled, “Me, Myself and Mental Health”, offered a deep, raw and emotional look at the struggles and triumphs of individuals from Bedford around their mental health and families that had lost loved ones to suicide.

The evening kicked off with an introduction from Sophie Whelan, founder of children and family wellbeing not-for-profit organisation, Bright Emotions. In her opening remarks, she emphasised the importance of removing stigma from conversations around mental health and urged everyone in the room to approach the documentary with curiosity rather than judgement. Sophie also turned to the room and asked those in the audience who has ever had a trialling period in life, or suffered with their mental health, if they could put their hands up. There wasn’t a hand down in the entire room.

Me, Myself and Mental health was created and edited by Don Weerasirie and Jack Brown from LimeLight TV with Sophie as a co-director. The idea came to her after hearing the devastating news about a well known barber in Bedford that took his own life in September 2021, and having her own personal battles she felt there needed to be more open conversations about mental health and suicide.

On talking about the creation of the documentary, Sophie said, “We wanted this documentary to be hard-hitting, raw and show exactly how difficult it can be for those struggling. We wanted local individuals from various age groups and backgrounds to share their stories in hopes that others could relate. These aren’t people from a distant country, they are our neighbours, walking our streets and living in our community. It underscores how little we know about what the person next to us is experiencing”.

The documentary showed a powerful exploration of mental health, featuring personal stories including individuals who have experienced a range of mental health issues including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The film also included insights from mental health support systems including a men’s monthly walking group and Bright Emotions itself.

One of the documentary’s most compelling aspects was its focus on the human side of mental illness and how it impacts and effects others. Through interviews and intimate footage, viewers gained a deeper understanding of what it’s like to either live with, or experience living with someone with a mental health condition. The documentary also highlighted the importance of community support, the role of therapy and medication, and the difficult issue of the lack of suitable support from the NHS and GP’s.

The stories came from well-known individuals in the town including Ciro from Petrol Headonism and Fabio Molliterno, whose life was reflected on by his DJ and Producer brother, Turno.

In the documentary, Ciro is explaining that he had just run a very successful charity event, had flown to New York for a trip of a lifetime with his wonderful wife, had been for dinner at the Waldorf and ended up crying in the corner of his hotel bathroom straight after, not understanding what had happened, or why he was feeling this way.

Ravi Weerasirie reflected on the making of the documentary and told us, “When Sophie approached me to create this documentary, it was a no-brainer. We had to highlight the fact that mental illness can impact anyone and everyone at any moment in our lives. Sometimes there are warning signs, sometimes there are not and we wanted to make a clear statement in this documentary, that the people that we are talking about are your neighbours, your barbers, your shop assistants, your family – it’s a lot closer to home than you think”.

Following the screening was a talk from Chris from The Ollie Foundation (One Life Lost Is Enough). Chris lost his 16-year-old boy to suicide over ten years ago and met with a group of parents who had unfortunately gone through the same heart-breaking situation. They realised there wasn’t a lot of training in the local area (Hertfordshire) and so took it upon themselves to provide suicide prevention training. They now deliver free training courses and resources all over the UK.

The night ended with a set from local band, The Earthtones, with songs and lyrics reflecting their own views and experiences with mental health.

One of the key takeaways from the evening was that there are lots of fantastic support groups and resources across Bedford that can help support those who are struggling, and there is HOPE.

Sophie went on to say, “This is just the beginning. I started Bright Emotions so that talking about and expressing our feelings from a very young age is something that is part of our everyday lives. We know, acknowledge and understand that our services in the UK are stretched and that’s exactly why Bright Emotions stand committed to bridging the gap in services, particularly for children on waiting lists or not meeting the threshold for other services. We’ve gone on to develop a powerful parenting course so that parents can also learn about their own emotions and supported with managing and talking about feelings at home. We must keep the conversation going and support our community with other options and pathways other than the traditional methods of the GP and the NHS, when they are sometimes too overwhelmed to provide the best options for people. Together, we can really make a difference”.

“I was able to work alongside some of the most talented people in Bedford, and build relationships with some of the most inspiring individuals that showed unwavering bravery sharing their stories on camera. This project is in memory of all those that we have lost to suicide”.

You can view the documentary here - youtu.be/exgCB3SP3jg

If you’d like to donate to Bright Emotions, you can do so here - www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bright-emotions-bedford?utm_term=77xgRQKjY

When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at [email protected], or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.