Videos, Podcasts, Documentaries, and Movies

Eklavya Foundation was established in September 2021. The foundation mainly focuses on 3 goals, conducting support group meetings for person with mental illness and their caregivers, spreading awareness in the general population, and stigma removal. The organization conducts several programs to fulfil these goals. The activities of the organization are conducted on a voluntary basis. Mental health professionals are not involved in the conduct of day to day activities, however, they are actively involved in various programmes and continue to lend their expertise from time to time. The recovered patients, family members and volunteers are the administrators of the organization.

http://www.youtube.com/@eklavyafoundationformental2889

Here is a selection of educational videos on psychosis, covering its symptoms, causes, early warning signs, personal experiences, treatment, and guidance for family carers. I've prioritised reputable mental health organisations and healthcare providers.

1. What Is Psychosis?

Publisher: Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

An introductory video explaining psychosis, including experiences such as hearing voices, seeing things that others do not, and having unusual or distressing beliefs.

Useful for: Patients, families, carers, and beginners.

▶ Watch psychosis educational videos

2. Understanding Psychosis

Publisher: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

NAMI provides educational material explaining psychosis, its symptoms, associated conditions, treatment options, and recovery.

Useful for: Developing a basic understanding of psychosis and distinguishing it from a specific diagnosis such as schizophrenia.

▶ NAMI — Understanding Psychosis

3. Early Psychosis: What's Happening and What Can You Do?

Publisher: NAMI

This resource explains the early signs of psychosis, the importance of seeking help, and how individuals and families can respond when unusual thoughts, perceptions, or behaviour begin to affect everyday life.

Useful for: Recognising possible early symptoms and understanding why prompt assessment matters.

▶ NAMI — Early and First-Episode Psychosis Resources

4. What Is Psychosis and How Can We Help?

Publisher: Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

This collection includes educational material about psychosis and the support offered by early intervention services. It also includes a personal account titled Kerry's Story.

Useful for: Understanding how early intervention teams support people experiencing psychosis.

▶ Watch the NHS psychosis video collection

5. How Can I Help My Loved One During a Psychotic Episode?

Publisher: NAMI

This video explains what psychosis can feel like and offers guidance for supporting someone experiencing a psychotic episode.

It addresses the importance of remaining calm, listening without confrontation, and helping the person access professional support.

Useful for: Parents, spouses, siblings, and other family caregivers.

▶ NAMI — Supporting a Loved One During a Psychotic Episode

6. Encouraging Someone to Seek Help for Early Psychosis

Publisher: NAMI

This resource helps families approach a loved one who may be experiencing early psychosis but does not recognise that anything is wrong.

It recommends listening carefully, describing specific concerns without judgment, and focusing on the person's well-being rather than arguing over a diagnosis.

Useful for: Families dealing with resistance to treatment or a lack of insight.

▶ NAMI — Early Psychosis Guidance for Families

1. The Me You Can't See (2021)

Presenters: Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry

This documentary series features people sharing their experiences of mental health difficulties, trauma, grief, and treatment. It examines how mental health challenges affect individuals and families and explores the importance of seeking help.

Why watch it: An accessible introduction to mental health, stigma, and the importance of sharing personal experiences.

2. Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive (2006)

Actor and writer Stephen Fry explores bipolar disorder through his own experiences and conversations with other people who live with the condition.

The documentary examines mania, depression, diagnosis, medication, and the effects of bipolar disorder on relationships and everyday life.

Why watch it: Particularly useful for understanding bipolar disorder from both personal and clinical perspectives.

3. Of Two Minds (2012)

This documentary follows three people living with bipolar disorder, exploring their experiences of elevated moods, depression, relationships, and the challenges of managing the condition.

Why watch it: Demonstrates how the same diagnosis can produce very different experiences in different people.

4. Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness (2022)

Directed by Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers, this PBS documentary follows young people experiencing mental health difficulties.

It explores their struggles, their families' experiences, obstacles to obtaining help, and the possibilities of recovery.

Why watch it: Particularly useful for understanding stigma, family relationships, and the difficulties of seeking treatment.

PBS has compiled additional recommendations in its guide to mental health documentaries.

1. 15 Park Avenue (2005) — Indian

Language: English and Hindi

Focus: Schizophrenia, delusions, and family caregiving.

A woman lives with a deeply held belief in an alternative reality involving a husband, children, and a home at a fictional address. Her sister tries to care for her while navigating the emotional and practical challenges of her condition.

Why watch it: Particularly relevant to Indian family dynamics, stigma, caregiving, and the difficulty of reconciling a person's subjective reality with the reality perceived by others.

2. A Beautiful Mind (2001) — International

Focus: Schizophrenia, hallucinations, and delusions.

Inspired by mathematician John Nash, the film depicts his experiences with apparent people and events that others do not perceive. His experiences affect his academic work, marriage, and relationships.

Why watch it: Useful for studying how a film can reveal a character's altered perception of reality and show the effects of psychosis on family life. Some aspects of the portrayal are dramatised and not clinically representative.

3. Words on Bathroom Walls (2020) — International

Focus: Schizophrenia in adolescence, hallucinations, stigma, and treatment.

A teenager experiences hallucinations and attempts to conceal his condition from his peers and a potential romantic partner. He struggles to balance treatment, school, relationships, and his desire for an ordinary life.

Why watch it: Particularly useful for studying the subjective experience of hallucinations, concealment, self-image, romantic relationships, and the fear of being labelled mentally ill.

4. Clean, Shaven (1993) — International

Focus: Schizophrenia and subjective perception.

A man with schizophrenia attempts to reconnect with his daughter. The film uses fragmented sound, disturbing sensory effects, and an unsettling visual style to immerse the audience in his experience.

Why watch it: A valuable study of cinematic techniques for representing altered perception without relying on explanatory dialogue. Its disturbing portrayal should be approached critically, as it may reinforce associations between schizophrenia and dangerousness.

5. The Soloist (2009) — International

Focus: Schizophrenia, social exclusion, and recovery-related support.

A journalist befriends a gifted musician who lives with schizophrenia and experiences homelessness. Their relationship explores friendship, autonomy, social isolation, and the limits of one person's ability to change another's circumstances.

Why watch it: Useful for examining psychosis beyond the acute episode, particularly its interaction with social circumstances, independence, and support.

6. Woh Lamhe... (2006) — Indian

Focus: Serious mental illness, relationships, and caregiving.

Inspired in part by actress Parveen Babi's life, the film follows a woman whose mental-health difficulties profoundly affect her relationship with a man who tries to help her.

Why watch it: Offers material on the emotional consequences of mental illness for partners and caregivers. Its portrayal is associated with bipolar disorder and should not be treated as a straightforward account of schizophrenia or psychosis alone.

1. Short Films on Psychosis and Schizophrenia

1. C/o Kilpakkam

• Language: Tamil

• Duration: Approximately 3 minutes

• Theme: Delusions and altered perception.

• Description: A short psychological thriller about a person experiencing delusions. A review describes it as exploring a possible case of schizophrenia, although the diagnosis is not definitively established by that source.

• Why watch it: Its very short runtime makes it useful for studying how to introduce a psychological condition and deliver a narrative twist quickly.

2. I Wish You Knew – Asha

• Language: Not confirmed in the source.

• Duration: Not confirmed.

• Theme: Schizophrenia and family caregiving.

• Description: Asha's increasingly erratic behaviour leads her husband to abandon her, leaving her mother to cope with the situation and try to prevent further deterioration. The film focuses on the impact of schizophrenia on both the person experiencing it and the caregiver.

• Why watch it: Particularly relevant to your screenplay's exploration of family relationships, stigma, and the burden of caregiving.

3. Distorted – A Schizophrenia Story

• Language: English

• Duration: Approximately 4 minutes

• Theme: Schizophrenia and psychological distress.

• Description: Directed and written by Arinjay Shekhar, this Indian short film follows a protagonist with schizophrenia who becomes caught up in a troubling situation.

• Why watch it: Useful for examining how a filmmaker establishes a character's psychological difficulties and creates tension within a very short running time.

4. Metronome

• Language: Not confirmed in the source.

• Duration: Approximately 39 minutes.

• Theme: Schizophrenia, ambition, and social acceptance.

• Description: Sandy, a guitarist with schizophrenia, dreams of being accepted into a rock band but struggles to keep time with the music. The film presents his ambitions alongside the challenges he faces.

• Why watch it: Particularly relevant to portraying a person with schizophrenia as someone with talents, ambitions, and a life beyond the diagnosis. Its creators report that mental-health professionals and institutions contributed to validating the psychiatric portrayal.

5. Unusually Bright

• Format: Animation

• Duration: Not confirmed.

• Theme: The subjective experience of schizophrenia.

• Description: An animated short by Aleo Covi that explores a world shaped by delusional experiences associated with schizophrenia, using music and imagery to communicate the character's perceptions.

• Why watch it: Useful for exploring how animation, sound, and visual metaphors can convey experiences that may be difficult to represent through conventional live-action scenes.

6. Pagla (From Unconscious to Consciousness)

• Language: Hindi

• Duration: 28 minutes

• Theme: Schizophrenia, spirituality, and altered states of consciousness.

• Description: An independent psychological drama directed by Ekta Singh. Its premise explores the perceived boundary between schizophrenia and shamanism.

• Why watch it: Potentially interesting for your screenplay's examination of the conflict between supernatural explanations and medical understandings of psychosis. However, the film's premise should not be mistaken for a clinical account of schizophrenia