BY KAREN BOSSICK

MindFit—a four-part documentary on mental illness—will be presented Tuesday through Friday, Oct. 22-25, at the Sun Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hailey.

A 30-minute video will be shown each night at 6:30 p.m. at the church, at 705 S. Main St. It will be followed by an audience discussion with local health professionals. The series is being offered free of charge.

Among those who will participate is Dr. Tom Archie, who touts the power of public discussion about mental health.

"While it is not that common for patients to have discussions about spirituality and religion with physicians in the exam room, there is a robust and growing body of medical literature exploring the role of spiritual practice in overall health,” said Archie.

“Positive and negative mental health certainly has a huge impact on the lives of patients and physicians alike. Too often, people suffer in isolation, uncomfortable with the vulnerability of divulging their experiences.  Opportunities for open public discussion about the role of mental health on the wellness of individuals and society as a whole are important and very much needed.”

MindFit continues the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s periodic presentation of documentary films, which have included “Power of Forgiveness” and “Sabbath.” The church has also presented films exploring the conviction and impact of such spiritual heroes as the anti-Nazi dissident Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Jewish theologian Rabbi Abraham Heschel, who accompanied Martin Luther King and John Lewis in the Selma to Montgomery march.

The MindFit video series is narrated by Alex Rodriguez, a former firefighter and policemen whose first-hand encounters with mental health crises led him to produce the film series.

The first episode is titled “Beyond the Asylum” and takes viewers beyond the haunting visions of ways mental health used to be addressed to what achieving mental wellness looks like today. The second is “The Prowling Lion;” the third, “Not Your Grandpa’s Electroshock Therapy,” and the fourth, “Binding up the Broken-Hearted.”

The series features men and women who have struggled with depression, anxiety and other mental challenges and the practitioners whose therapeutic methods are providing breakthroughs.

“In these short videos, you will hear Craig, Nicole, Joseph and Rachael share stories of their struggles with crippling depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and how they found help to turn their lives around,” said the Rev. Stephen McCandless, pastor of Sun Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church. “There is valuable information for all of us—whether we suffer from mental fitness ourselves or know others who do—presented by mental health professionals from a variety of clinical settings across the country.”

McCandless will facilitate each night’s discussion, which will feature Dr. Archie, of Integrative Medicine;  Dr. Martha Miller, a family physician, and Brooke Kennaugh. Kennaugh, who used to have a clinical practice in Ketchum, happens to have studied at the Seattle-area mental health institution highlighted in the MindFit program.

One in five Americans report experiencing mental illness in any given year. But efforts to get appropriate help are hampered by silence, stigma and ignorance among friends, families and co-workers.

That’s why the Adventist Church, which is involved with Blaine County’s new Mental Well-Being Initiative, is seeking to contribute to the goal of increasing understanding and support for those dealing with mental health and addiction issues, said Juli Miller, who is helping to organize the screenings.

“The impact of Olympic athletes like Michael Phelps and Simone Biles revealing their mental health challenges is included in the MindFit content,” added McCandless. “Their stories together with news of current treatment trends delivering hope to many lives make attending the MindFit series a valuable component to the Mental Well-Being Initiative’s goal of community education and training to build a healthy ecosystem for supporting mental health fitness for everyone.”

McCandless said it’s not necessary to attend all four sessions to enrich one’s understanding of mental health issues.

“Each episode can stand alone with key facts and messages, but the collective impact of seeing all of them and participating in the pertinent discussions will deliver a more comprehensive and compelling experience,” he said.