“Mentality” – Mental Health Illness Documentaries
Lifelong Learning | Registration opens 5/5/2026 9:00 AM EDT
In this course, students examine the history and evolution of mental health treatment in the United States through three documentary films. The course begins with Mentality (2021), which contrasts early asylum practices with modern psychiatric care while exploring society’s changing perceptions of mental illness and ongoing gaps in treatment. Students will engage with firsthand accounts from individuals living with conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and panic disorder, and critically question how much progress has truly been made. Additional films—Anxiety Club and Suffering in Silence—highlight hidden struggles, community-level crises, and the continuing lack of mental health resources, encouraging informed discussion and continued advocacy.
Carrie Flickinger
Carrie Flickinger earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a minor in English from Duquesne University. Furthering her education, she obtained an M.A. in corporate communication from Duquesne University and an M.S. in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She has extensive teaching experience teaching 6th and 7th grade English in MB, SC for 11 years, and has taught at local universities such as, Carlow, Chatham, Duquesne, and Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach. She is currently an adjunct in the communications, media, and technology department at LaRoche University. In addition, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in communication and rhetorical studies with a focus on Cyberspace. She has a three-and-a-half-year-old son, Liam with a lot of energy and zest for life and a new puppy, named Pauppie who has kept her in shape!