The Quell Foundation will host the documentary “Lift the Mask – Portraits of Life with Mental Illness” on Thursday, May 24 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Wadsworth Museum of Art. “Lift the Mask,” tells the harrowing, hopeful stories of six individuals living with behavioral and mental health diagnoses.
View the Trailer for the film at https://vimeo.com/262105489/8a691098c5.
The post-film panel discussion will include:
- Kevin Lynch, founder, President, and CEO of The Quell Foundation
- Carrah Kalat, a successful executive living with depression and anxiety
- Dr. Mark Friedlander M.D., M.B.A., the Chief Medical Officer for Aetna Behavioral Health
- Michaela Kearney, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, and a Quell Foundation scholarship recipient
- Michael and Sharon Kearney, parents of Michaela, featured in the film
- Liz Charpentier featured in the film with her son, Dennis
The stigma around mental illness is felt by everyone who experiences it,” said Lynch. “The way we remove that stigma is to facilitate an open dialogue about those living with a mental illness and how that affects their day-to-day lives as well as those of their family members and support system.”
“I think it’s important for me to share my story because too many of us are suffering in silence,” said Michaela Kearney, a newly graduated Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner who suffered PTSD for the last decade from a traumatic experience in her early teens. “If my story is able to make even one person feel less alone or prompt someone to take ownership of their own mental health, it will have done its job.”
“Lift the Mask – Portraits of Life with Mental Illness” is a MODerati & Quell Foundation Production.
Tickets can be reserved at https://lift-the-mask.eventbrite.com
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