November 9, 2022

SVSU to present award-winning documentary “Mentality”

Film tracks evolution of mental health treatment through stories of patients, professionals

Saginaw Valley State University in partnership with Great Lakes Bay Health Centers will screen the award-winning documentary “Mentality,” about the evolution of mental health treatment, followed by a Q&A with director Garret Morgan, a filmmaker based in Marquette, and producer Mukesh Lathia, M.D., a psychiatrist with Great Lakes Bay Health Centers – Bay City. The event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1:30 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall inside Curtiss Hall. It is free and open to the public. 

David Nichols, associate professor of philosophy, said the film sheds light on current challenges facing patients of mental illness and demonstrates a need for structural changes to the mental health system.

Lathia, the producer, added, “Over the three years that this film was made, the need for mental health services has increased exponentially. Time and again we have met with people who can’t get the help they need. Sometimes it’s a question of access, sometimes stigma, sometimes denial. Our hope for this film is to help explain these nuances and start a broader conversation.”

Nichols said that “Mentality” has been showing throughout Michigan. Lathia approached SVSU about screening the film at the university. Nichols and his colleagues readily agreed, citing the learning opportunity for students and faculty, including the opportunity to talk with the producer and director about their direct experiences with mental illness patients, physicians and health centers.

Faculty in SVSU’s philosophy and psychology departments planned the event, which is sponsored by the Office of the President at SVSU and Great Lakes Bay Health Centers.

“We are hopeful that this will open new opportunities for collaborative work on mental health between the university and Great Lakes Bay Health Centers,” Nichols added.

The runtime of “Mentality” is just under 1 hour and 16 minutes. Doors open one hour before the showing; registration is not required.

A trailer of the film can be seen here: https://mentalitymovie.com/.