Prime Time House marks Emotional Wellness Month with film, discussions

Oct. 13--TORRINGTON -- Prime Time invites residents to join in a "Call to Action" during October's Emotional Wellness Month. Since the coronavirus pandemic, almost every aspect of people's lives have changed including their mental health.

The number of people with anxiety disorders has tripled and those experiencing depression has increased fourfold. Prime Time House is raising awareness about the importance of maintaining one's mental health, as well as providing resources to the community on how to do so, according to Prime Time House.

In addition to Emotional Wellness Month, October is also National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month, Mental Health Awareness Week, held Oct. 4-10, National Depression Screening Day on Oct. 8 and World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10.

In addition to supporting individuals who come to the facility during these unprecedented times, Prime Time House will take time during "Emotional Wellness Month" to have important conversations about mental health. This discussion is critical to raising awareness and reducing stigma within our community. The following upcoming events are planned.

On Oct. 23, Sandra Reese, an expert with 20 years of experience in supported employment, will facilitate a seminar to educate Chamber members on recognizing mental health problems and how to create a mental health-friendly work environment. With 28 million workers in the U.S. experiencing a mental or substance use disorder this is critical and timely information for all employers, according to a statement.

The second event will be an online screening of the film "Bedlam" followed by a panel discussion featuring Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, a psychiatrist, filmmaker, and a brother of a person with schizophrenia. Through intimate stores of patients, families, and medical providers, "Bedlam" is a feature-length documentary that immerses us in the national crisis surrounding care of the seriously mentally ill, according to a statement.

Filmed over five years, the movie takes viewers inside one of America's busiest psychiatric emergency rooms; into jails where psychiatric patients are warehoused; and to the homes and homeless encampments of mentally ill members of communities, where silence and shame often compound personal suffering according to a statement. The film will be available online Oct. 24-25, with the panel discussion from 7-8 p.m.Oct. 26.

Support for the programs comes from Burlington Construction Co., Inc., Daley Moving & Storage, Hartford Health Care Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, Dr. Michael Kovalchik & Susan Vontell, Litchfield Bancorp, Northwest Community Bank, Chip & Louisa Roraback, Sullivan Automotive, Torrington Savings Bank.

For additional information on this month's activities visit www.primetimehouse.org.

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