Product Description:
#29845 Family Issues - Divorce: A Survival Guide for Kids (Run time 15 min.) DVD $49.95
As this program makes clear, the most important thing for a child or teenager to understand about divorce is that it is not their fault. Still, how a child or teenager is affected depends a lot on how the parents handle the divorce and whether they can preserve some semblance of family life. In this video, teens, psychologists, and divorced parents talk about the difficulties young people face when their parents decide to separate. Through interviews and commentary, the program outlines the six emotional stages a young person typically experiences after divorce has changed a family. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. (15 minutes)
#36236 Family Issues - Mothers Addicted to Meth (Run time 11 min.) DVD $49.95
Kristi is a 33-year-old woman brought up, according to her own account, by strict parents with strong middle-class values. She is currently battling a methamphetamine addiction, while trying to be a good mother to her small children at the same time. This ABC News program demonstrates that as meth becomes the latest drug of choice for many Americans, it isn't only the users who are falling victim to the powerful stimulant-it profoundly affects their sons and daughters as well. Focusing on the rehabilitation of "meth moms," the program examines the struggles they face in staying clean and reconciling with their broken families. (10 minutes)
#34718 Mental Disorders - From Depression to Discovery: A Teenager's Guidebook (Run time 25 min.) DVD $49.95
Clinical depression and ignorance are a dangerous combination. Myths surrounding the disease-for example, the notion that it affects only adults-often prevent depressed young people from seeking help. This video shatters common misconceptions about depression, helping young viewers recognize its outward and internal symptoms. The latest forms of treatment are also explored. Interviews with teens who are living successfully with the disease, and commentary by renowned adolescent psychologist Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz, are interwoven with eye-catching and informative graphics that reinforce essential points. A viewable/printable instructor's guide containing student activities, discussion questions, vocabulary terms, and other helpful features is available online. The result is an honest, youth-centered informational tool that encourages a proactive approach to depression. Correlates to National Health Education Standards. A Cambridge Educational Production. (25 minutes)
#24703 Eating Disorders - Anorexia: Thin Obsession (Run time 16 min.) DVD $52.95
Like its companion video, Bulimia: The Vicious Cycle, this program examines an eating disorder in-depth, the causes, symptoms, and treatment. A former anorectic is interviewed, giving a glimpse into the effects this eating disorder can have on a person. Issues of psychological and physical health are detailed to give an insightful, informative picture of anorexia, giving students not only knowledge of the disorder, but also a view of its symptoms and the help that is available to anorectics. A Meridian Production. One 16-minute video.
#24844 Eating Disorders - Bulimia: The Vicious Cycle (Run time 15 min.) DVD $52.95
This program explores the debilitating eating disorder of bulimia-causes, symptoms, and treatment. Also included are interviews with an expert clinician and a former bulimic who describes how bulimia affected her entire life and her road to recovery. The video enables students to understand bulimia, be able to recognize symptoms they may see in others suffering from bulimia, and know what treatment methods are available to combat it. A Meridian Production. One 14-minute video.
#24710 Family Issues - Are You Ready for Marriage? (Run time min.) DVD $52.95
The decision to marry involves many issues beyond physical attraction. Marriage, whether or not it works out, is a decision that will affect the rest of your life. This program examines reasons for marriage, responsibilities and obligations of marriage, and the expenses involved. Hopefully, viewers will recognize that there's more to marriage than meets the heart. A Meridian Production. One 11-minute video.
#26124 Family Issues - Promoting Wholesome Sibling Relationships (Run time 12 min.) DVD $52.95
As long as there are siblings, there will be conflict. This video explores the underlying motives for sibling rivalry and presents four steps to handle it effectively: 1) acknowledge and express the conflict; 2) reinforce the positive worth of all participants; 3) re-direct the energies of the conflict into positive channels; and 4) define accepted and expected behavior. (12 min.) A Meridian Production.
#34917 Stress Programs - Kids under Pressure (Run time 22 min.) DVD $59.95
More American children are showing symptoms of severe stress-from poor academic performance to psychosomatic illnesses. This video illustrates methods that help reduce anxiety in children while building their love of learning. (22 minutes)
#3923 Eating Disorders - Parents of an Anorexic: The Story Behind Catherine (Run time 11 min.) DVD $69.95
Maureen Dunbar, author of the book on which An Anorexic's Tale is based, tells the real-life story of her daughter's fight for life. She speaks openly about her own experiences and those of other families who have faced the problems of anorexia. (11 minutes)
#35200 Eating Disorders - Battling Eating Disorders (Run time 29 min.) DVD $69.95
Anorexia and other eating disorders exert a frightening degree of control over millions of teenagers, especially young women. Manifested in so-called "Pro-Ana" websites, which actively promote anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating, the mental and physical grip of these sicknesses can prove impossible to break. This program represents a powerful weapon in the battle against eating disorders, pinpointing their origins in body image and self-esteem issues, illustrating their grim consequences in crystal-clear terms, and offering students, parents, teachers, and counselors a rich source of information and support. Hosted by The Sopranos' Jamie-Lynn Sigler, herself a survivor of teenage anorexia, the video explains how to recognize eating disorders, how friends and loved ones should communicate their fears and concerns, and how those who suffer from these often fatal illnesses can find professional help. Special emphasis is placed on identifying anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating as actual diseases, not as misguided lifestyle choices-a realization necessary for effective treatment. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Health Education Standards: Achieving Health Literacy and state standards. A Meridian Production. (29 minutes)
#25640 Family Issues - Impact of Divorce on the Family (Run time 15 min.) DVD $69.95
This program examines divorce from different points of view: that of the parents, the children, and the family psychologist. Reasons for divorce are explored, including interviews with families who have experienced a divorce. A family psychologist discusses the particular impact that divorce has on children and the phases that children go through in dealing with it. Also included is information on the positive changes that can take place when a divorce occurs. (16 min.) A Meridian Production.
#11300 Mental Disorders - Facing Themselves: Body Dysmorphic Disorder (Run time 14 min.) DVD $69.95
For some adolescents, what they see when they look in the mirror is driving them to despair-and even suicide. In this program, ABC News correspondent John Stossel reports on body dysmorphic disorder, which causes otherwise normal-looking teenagers to perceive themselves as unbearably ugly. Case studies reveal the good effects of drug therapy using serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and of cognitive-behavioral exposure therapy. Drs. Katharine Phillips and Ralph Albertini, of the Butler Hospital Body Image Program, and Dr. Fugen Nesiroglu, of the Institute for Bio-Behavioral Therapy and Research, describe their pioneering studies. (14 minutes)
#11800 Stress Programs - Stress Hurts! A Wake-up Call for Women (Run time 42 min.) DVD $69.95
Do women have more stress in their lives than men and do they react differently to it? In this program, ABC News correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman reports on the ways in which stress is much more damaging to women and explores its connection to serious illness, memory loss, weight control, sleep, sexual desire, and depression. Hormone therapy for younger women, especially after childbirth, is discussed, as well as breakthrough research that shows stress can cause dangerous weight gain. Dr. Snyderman looks at how women, unlike men, tend to take their anger out at home rather than in the workplace, and she also offers some essential advice on reducing stress levels in everyday situations. (42 minutes)
#24727 Anger & Conflict Management - Attitude Alert (Run time 15 min.) DVD $79.95
This video explores the belief that a person's attitude, whether at home, school, or in the community, has tremendous influence on one's actions. Not only does our attitude influence our behavior, but how others perceive us. Changing our attitudes can improve relationships in all areas of our lives-it's up to us. In the video we meet some middle school students who decide to start a school-wide advice column. As problems come pouring in, they notice an interesting phenomenon-many of the conflicts erupted because of the student's attitude. In before-and-after scenes, students will see that by changing their attitude, they can change an unhappy circumstance. A good way to help viewers grasp some important truths. A Meridian Production. One 15-minute video.
#29939 Body Image & Beauty - Body Image for Boys (Run time 19 min.) DVD $79.95
As the idealized male physique continues to be hyped in movies, on TV, in magazines, and on billboards, a rapidly growing number of men are becoming obsessed with appearance. Each year alone, they spend billions on gym memberships and home exercise equipment-and women are no longer alone in battling anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder. This topical program explores some of the issues facing young men today as they struggle to define themselves amidst the flood of media-generated images of male physical perfection. Experts including Divya Kakaiya, the visionary founder and clinical director of the Healthy Within treatment center; Leigh Cohn, co-author of the seminal Making Weight: Men's Conflicts with Food, Weight, Shape, and Appearance; and UCLA Healthcare sports medicine physician Gary Green as well as a number of young patients grapple with problems such as steroid abuse, eating disorders, exercise addiction, and phony food supplements. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. (18 minutes)
#14516 Eating Disorders - Eating: Out of Control (Run time min.) DVD $79.95
With the emphasis that society places on physical appearance, it is not surprising that eating disorders are on a continual and alarming rise. Anorexia, bulimia, and obesity are all potentially deadly conditions that must be addressed by both educators and students. Eating: Out of Control assists young people in understanding these disorders by describing the symptoms, causes, and effects of each. The roles that family and peer pressure, a poor self-image, and the media play in the development of these disorders are discussed in detail. A dramatic interview with an anorexic is included that describes how and why she developed her affliction and allows your students to see vividly the dangers associated with fasting for extended periods of time. The theory of the body's "setpoint" and how it has been used to explain some eating disorders is also discussed. This dynamic exploration into the often hidden problems of eating disorders reinforces the facts that the key to looking and feeling good lies in eating a balanced diet. A Cambridge Educational Production. One 30-minute video.
#14486 Family Issues - Surviving Your Parents' Divorce: It's Never Easy (Run time 38 min.) DVD $79.95
Through interviews with a psychologist/counselor, therapist, and a divorce lawyer, this informative video provides specific coping skills for adolescents who are caught in the middle of the separation/divorce process. Young adults share their own experiences of shock and anger, feelings of divided loyalties, confusions about the legal issues, hardships of new financial problems, and increased responsibilities. Skills covered include realizing the validity of their feelings, keeping the lines of communication open with both parents without being caught in the middle, understanding their choices and rights, how and where to look for help, how to take care of themselves, and how to look at the bright side of this confusing and trying experience. A Cambridge Educational Production. (38 minutes)
#25406 Family Issues - Family Ties...Strengthening the Family Unit (Run time 23 min.) DVD $79.95
Whether it's special foods, certain games, or favorite entertainment, most families have specific activities that help create family closeness and togetherness. We watch different families create their own method of bonding and discover why it's so important for every family to make special time for one another. (23 min.) A Meridian Production.
#25695 Family Issues - Invasion of the Steppeople: Getting Along with Your Stepfamily (Run time 16 min.) DVD $79.95
Blended families are very common, but in most cases they mix like oil and water. A child who loses one natural parent to death or divorce, is forced to leave familiar surroundings, and gains a new stepparent/siblings is likely to be extremely angry, sad, or depressed about these changes. This video takes a comic approach to the very real issues which occur in blended families including jealousy, resentment, discipline, and unfavorable comparisons. The video also offers some positive advice for peaceful coexistence between parents and children in stepfamilies. (15 min.) A Meridian Production.
#11424 Mental Disorders - Skin Deep: Understanding Self-Injury (Run time min.) DVD $79.95
Each year nearly two million people injure their own bodies using knives, scissors, glass, cigarettes, candles, razors-in fact, practically any destructive item they can find. Through interviews with patients and mental health professionals and footage of actual therapy sessions, this compelling program seeks to understand a deeply disturbing and often secretive mental disorder that affects as many teens and young adults as anorexia. A Cambridge Educational Production. (22 minutes)
#8150 Stress Programs - Handling Stress: Today and Tomorrow (Run time 30 min.) DVD $79.95
Stress has been a part of life since the beginning of humankind. Events that occur daily cause different levels of stress for different individuals. The way a person views a situation is directly related to the degree of stress that he or she may feel. This video program helps students identify stressful circumstances and provides ways to manage the pressure that they create. It also explains that while high levels of stress can be harmful, by learning to handle tension by channeling energy to positive feelings, individuals accomplish goals rather then spend time worrying about failure. By knowing how to put events in perspective, students possess a vital tool for managing stress today and tomorrow. A Cambridge Educational Production. One 25-minute video.
#9253 Anger & Conflict Management - Soothing the Savage Beast: Venting Rage (Run time 14 min.) DVD $89.95
Is the physical release of anger in a controlled setting a healthy way to process it? Many angry people say yes-but not all researchers agree: "It's a seductive theory. It does make sense, but it's a myth," says noted psychologist Dr. Brad Bushman. In this program, ABC News anchors Charles Gibson and Connie Chung and correspondent John Stossel set the record straight about two different anger disorders and the methods used to control them. For under-venters, bataka bats and anger release workshops may be the prescription, but for over-venters, an anger management workshop is a better choice. (14 minutes)
#9254 Anger & Conflict Management - Before It's Too Late: Children and Severe Anger (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
Experts are seeing an alarming increase in severe emotional and behavioral disorders among young children, characterized by abusive language, physical threats, and violent tantrums. "I can't live like this. Afraid to get up. Afraid to go to bed. Afraid of what you're going to find when you walk into a room," says a foster mother of twins she cannot control. In this program, ABC News anchors Diane Sawyer and Sam Donaldson investigate the frightening world of children with severe anger control problems, focusing on how to identify a child at risk and the vital importance of early intervention. Some language may be objectionable. (29 minutes)
#36107 Anger & Conflict Management - C.A.G.E. the Rage (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Calm down, Assess the situation, Gauge alternatives, and Empower yourself by choosing how to react: that's the way to safely C.A.G.E. the rage. By viewing this program, students will (1) see how to identify anger in themselves and those around them; (2) understand why mismanaged anger is so destructive; (3) discover how anger gets repressed, and the bodily and mental illnesses that may result from it; and (4) learn to release anger and express emotions in an acceptable and positive way using the C.A.G.E. method. Scenarios in which students model first unhealthy and then healthy behaviors make this video a particularly effective teaching tool. Candid interviews with experts and teens are also included. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to all applicable state and national standards. A Cambridge Educational Production. Recommended for middle school and high school. (23 minutes)
#5396 Body Image & Beauty - Face Value: Perceptions of Beauty (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
What determines our perception of beauty? Do different types of beauty transcend time and fashion or is today's great beauty tomorrow's "plain Jane"? Psychologist David Perrett believes that our perceptions of attractiveness may be universal and biological and that certain features of the face may have an instinctive appeal which pleases through time and across culture-large eyes, high cheekbones, a smooth skin texture, a narrow jaw. This program puts these theories to the test by applying his computer analysis to the faces of contestants in a recent beauty contest to see if it is possible to predict the winners. The faces of some of today's beautiful people, like super-model Claudia Schiffer, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Tom Cruise, among others, are also examined. The program talks to experts who support Perrett's theories as well as to those who strongly disagree, maintaining that beauty is firmly rooted in time and fashion. (26 minutes)
#8784 Body Image & Beauty - The Face: The Evolution of Beauty (Run time 53 min.) DVD $89.95
Is there a universal characteristic that defines beauty? Has the human gene pool been altered over the millennia by a process of selection based on this characteristic? In this program, experts from Harvard, Yale, and the University of California explore facial evolution, the brain's specialized ability to recognize familiar faces, the ways in which expressions are used to actively and passively communicate, the intricacies of craniofacial surgery, facial recognition by computers, and the technology that can produce an artificially made face. In addition, prosopagnosia (the inability to recognize faces), Mobius syndrome (also known as dead face), and the reconstruction of a congenitally deformed face are investigated using case histories. (53 minutes)
#1380 Eating Disorders - Anorexia and Bulimia (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
This program explains the addictive nature of anorexia and bulimia, and their possible effects on the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. A nutritionist demonstrates the extremes to which people with these disorders commonly go. (19 minutes)
#2359 Eating Disorders - Eating Disorders (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
An estimated six million people have eating disorders-a complex disease that has no one cause, which involves biological, social, and emotional problems, and in which the pressure to be thin plays a major role. This program from The Doctor Is In covers the personality profiles of those likeliest to develop anorexia, explains their perceived need to be thin and inability to acknowledge that they are thin enough, shows how anorexia develops and demonstrates its symptoms, and explores with former anorexics how they were cured. It also explains that many anorexics move from one eating disorder to another throughout their lives; that overexercising can be as dangerous as a limited diet; and that purges can be even more destructive. Those suffering from eating disorders are usually aware that something is wrong but may not know where to go for help, or feel too ashamed to tell someone. The program indicates how friends and families can help, what treatment consists of, and what steps are being taken at some schools to forestall problems. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center production. (26 minutes)
#6063 Eating Disorders - Self-Image and Eating Disorders: A Mirror for the Heart (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
For many women, a preoccupation with body image and a lack of self-esteem manifest themselves in an obsession with food and diet. Such destructive obsessions can result in anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia. These eating disorders are not about food; they are a reflection of and an outlet for inner turmoil, fueled by society's focus on appearance and the fashion of thinness. This program looks at the hidden behavior, stress, denial, and the cycle of guilt and shame that underlie these eating disorders; shows how depression, low energy, desperation, serious medical complications, and even death can result; and explores their effects on family and friends. The program shows how, when women begin to admit to themselves that there is a problem, relief comes in sharing their story with others. The program also shows the importance of proper treatment and professional help. (24 minutes)
#6792 Eating Disorders - Eating Disorders (Run time 15 min.) DVD $89.95
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa-two conditions rooted in the desire to be slim-are the focus of this program. While the first deprives the body of food, the other causes its victims to compulsively purge food through vomiting. Two women who suffer with these conditions tell poignant stories of how these compulsive behaviors have nearly destroyed their lives and the lives of their respective families. An expert explains the specialized approach used in treating both disorders. (15 minutes)
#9190 Eating Disorders - Having Your Cake: Goodbye to Bulimia (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
"How do you stay so thin?" In this powerful documentary, four women openly share the details of their personal journeys of self-discovery as they battled bulimia. Through intimate interviews, each describes how she first became aware of her self-destructive behavior-and how she disarmed it, freeing herself to move forward towards physical and emotional health. The program is currently being used by teachers, therapists, and health professionals as both an early-warning device and an inspirational guide to recovery. (24 minutes)
#11009 Eating Disorders - When Food Is the Enemy: Eating Disorders (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
Ranging from the starvation diet of the anorexic to certain forms of obesity, eating disorders are a diverse group of health problems. This program examines the emotional issues that lie behind most eating disorders, the serious and sometimes life-threatening consequences of eating disorders, and methods of treatment. Experts and patients alike offer their insights. A Meridian Production. (25 minutes)
#33292 Eating Disorders - Winning the Mind Game: Triumphing Over Mental Illness (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
Filmed in the U.K., this program sympathetically presents the stories of four young adults-two men, two women-who triumphed over bipolar disorder, chronic anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, clinical depression, and an eating disorder. Looking back on their lengthy ordeals, each person explains to viewers what it was like to slide into mental illness and how, with the help of others, they reestablished control of their lives. (25 minutes)
#1545 Family Issues - Can We Talk? (Run time 52 min.) DVD $89.95
A family communications skills test in game show format, featuring vignettes by the "Cosby Show" and "Family Ties" kids; expert commentators discuss resolutions. (52 minutes)
#4902 Family Issues - Families First (Run time 90 min.) DVD $89.95
Foster care in America, which was designed as a last resort for families in trouble, has become a commonplace experience for many children today. In this program, Bill Moyers examines a growing national movement that has achieved success in keeping troubled families together through the innovative strategy of working with them in their homes. Modeled after a 1974 pioneer project called "Homebuilders," this approach is known as "family preservation services" (FPS). In the program, we visit with families throughout the U.S. as they deal with personal crises that threaten them with the loss of their children to foster care. Their stories, and the stories of the caseworkers who help them learn the skills they need to stay together, offer a candid look at one of our society's most distressing problems, and at a promising approach to coping with it. (90 minutes)
#4942 Family Issues - The Changing Family and Its Implications: T. Berry Brazelton (Run time 50 min.) DVD $89.95
When it comes to baby talk, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton has no equal. He's spent a lifetime studying little children, and he's learned that in all the "oohing" and "ahhing," some serious messages are being sent back and forth. Brazelton's books on child-raising can be found in American homes all across the country. Today's parents call him the Dr. Spock of their generation. And so it is of particular significance when Dr. Brazelton turns his attention to the problems and challenges of working parents. Brazelton is worried about the way the marketplace is treating families; something precious, he says, is being compromised. In this program with Bill Moyers, Dr. Brazelton discusses the changing American family and its implications for our children. (50 minutes)
#5042 Family Issues - Families Matter (Run time 60 min.) DVD $89.95
This program with Bill Moyers examines why America has become an unfriendly culture for families and children, and explores ways to rebuild a web of support for families. Among those featured on the program are Rosalie Streett, Exec. Director of Parent Action (Baltimore, MD); Jill Bradley, Director of Child Care Services, Chicago Housing Authority; and Richard Louv, author of the book Childhood's Future. They discuss some of the practical steps needed to create a more hospitable social climate for families. The program also visits parents in San Diego who are struggling with some of the problems affecting the quality of parents' and children's lives. (60 minutes)
#8570 Family Issues - Stepmothers: Stepping In (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
What is it really like to play the parent role with a child who is not your own? This program is an in-depth exploration of the ups and downs of Celine as she experiences life as a stepmother. When she and Bob came together, his daughter was eleven years old and her son was less than two. Speaking openly, Celine describes some of the challenges she and Bob faced-like attending a parent-teacher conference together with his ex-wife-and certain key lessons that she learned, including the need for unified decision-making with Bob and the importance of simply being herself. This program presents a sensitive look at a difficult topic, but one becoming more common as society continues to change. (25 minutes)
#9219 Family Issues - Love, Lust, and Marriage: Why We Stay and Why We Stray (Run time 41 min.) DVD $89.95
How do people find love, why do they fall in love, and, once married, how do they stay in love? In this ABC News special with correspondent John Stossel, the modern-day notion of love, with all of its attendant expectations, is examined. Despite divorce rates that are currently holding steady at 50 percent, research shows that married couples are actually healthier-and claim to be happier as well. Also discussed are what can make a marriage fail and other cultures' solutions to "the dating game," such as arranged marriages. (43 minutes)
#10625 Family Issues - Serial Monogamy: Terms of Endearment? (Run time 40 min.) DVD $89.95
With divorce rates soaring and cohabitation on the rise, is the institution of marriage as a lifelong monogamous commitment doomed? In this program, moderated by noted writer and broadcaster Joan Bakewell, anthropologist Helen Fisher defends her controversial pair-bonding theory of sequential four-year relationships against the arguments of biologist Steve Jones, theologian Karen Armstrong, and other experts. Also, after a short documentary sequence filmed by a teen-age child of divorced parents, educational psychologist Gaynor Sbuttoni and other panelists discuss the impact of divorce on children. (40 minutes)
#10906 Family Issues - What Is Family? Defining the Tie that Binds (Run time 44 min.) DVD $89.95
Is biological lineage a necessary precondition for being a family? In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel and correspondent Robert Krulwich visit the Van Dries, of Grand Rapids. With three biological children plus eleven adoptees from the U.S. and around the world, parents Doug and Jan put that question to the test, adding language barriers and the effects of extreme poverty and abuse to the usual array of daunting parental challenges. The sociological underpinnings of family and the psychology of parenting are both examined in this compelling portrait of sixteen people for whom reciprocal loyalty is the cornerstone of life. (44 minutes)
#11022 Family Issues - Why Don't the Kids Have a Voice? (Run time 42 min.) DVD $89.95
Under the law, children in a custody battle have no say in the matter of where or with whom they live. In this program, ABC News correspondent John Stossel questions the biological bias that often leads courts and child welfare authorities to give more weight to keeping families together than to the real needs of the children involved. Juvenile court judge Charles Gill, child advocate George Russ, public guardian Patrick Murphy, and Conna Craig, president of the Institute for Children, voice their support for revising the rules and procedures involved with child custody and adoption. (42 minutes)
#11064 Family Issues - The Marriage Partnership (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
"And they lived happily ever after." Most couples expect their wedding day to end like a fairy tale. However, statistics show that almost half of all marriages end in divorce. Most newlyweds are not as prepared for married life as they are for their wedding day. This program explores the steps that cultivate strong marriages: choosing the right partner, moving from "me" to "we" thinking, establishing roles and goals, and making good decisions. Experts and married couples offer ways in which newlyweds can become equal partners-for life. A Meridian Production. (19 minutes)
#12120 Family Issues - What Is a Marriage? (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
The institution of marriage is facing strong challenges in the 21st century, as diversity and inclusivity continue to reshape its underlying principles. Supported by some and opposed by others, issues such as same-sex marriages and the raising of families outside of marriage are ongoing sources of debate. Can marriage evolve? This program focuses on the efforts of religion and society to redefine and strengthen the marriage relationship. (30 minutes)
#12121 Family Issues - Divorce Made Simple (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
Marriages, they say, are supposed to last forever. Why then have courts and legislatures made it so much easier to get a divorce? How did they imagine it would help society? And have women and children really reaped the intended financial and social benefits? This program examines the state of divorce in America as it argues that the time has come for the pendulum of legislation to swing the other way, once again making divorces harder to obtain. (30 minutes)
#12122 Family Issues - Will Marriage Survive? (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
Topping a million per year, the number of divorces in the United States has tripled since 1960, and one in three babies in America today is being born to single parents. A growing body of evidence suggests that these trends are threatening the very fabric of society. Is it too late to infuse new life into a time-honored relationship? This program spotlights the efforts of those committed to saving and promoting the institution of marriage. (30 minutes)
#7500 Healing & Grief - Judging Vermeer: The Healing Power of Art (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
The power of art in the psychological healing process is the subject of this program, in which Bosnian war crimes judge Antonio Cassesse visits a gallery and the paintings of Dutch master Jan Vermeer to soothe a troubled spirit. Although Vermeer's paintings present a world of symmetry, reason, and security, American art historian Lawrence Wechsler points out that they were actually created during wartime, and that Vermeer himself led a difficult, impoverished life. For the artist, the paintings simulated a peaceful world in a turbulent era, as they now do for Cassesse, wearied by daily tales of inhumanity in Bosnia-Herzegovina. A BBC Production. (30 minutes)
#8493 Healing & Grief - Loss of a Job (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
Losing a job is usually considered tragic, but what about when the job consumed your entire life, to the detriment of your health, family, and friends? Meet Peter as he is forced to reconsider his values and comes to see his losses as gains. (25 minutes)
#8494 Healing & Grief - Loss of a Family (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
Terry lost his family once through divorce. But when his ex-wife suddenly died, he lost them again. Because of the distance from his children, he was excluded from their grieving process and family support. This program highlights the necessity of family support and the depression that can result from isolation. (25 minutes)
#8495 Healing & Grief - Loss of a Relationship (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
The breakup of a relationship can lead to feelings of shame, guilt, and failure. After 22 years of marriage, Jean found herself alone, contemplating suicide. She speaks of the process of grief, of accepting her loneliness, and of her new life and how she healed her wounds. (26 minutes)
#8496 Healing & Grief - Loss of a Daughter (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
Heather's teenage daughter, Angie, was murdered five years ago and the case remains unsolved. Heather must cope not only with the loss of her daughter, but with the knowledge that the killer is still at large and that she has been denied the consolation of justice. (25 minutes)
#8497 Healing & Grief - Loss of a Son (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
The loss of a child is always difficult to accept, but when your child commits suicide, the grief can become compounded by guilt. Meet Deanna, whose son Tim committed suicide at the age of 22. Eleven years later, she still grieves over his death and wonders what she could have done to prevent it. (25 minutes)
#8498 Healing & Grief - Loss of a Spouse (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
Don and Joan were happily married. When Joan was diagnosed with a terminal illness, they prepared for her death together. Although Don still feels the absence of Joan and mourns for her, he finds consolation in continuing his life and raising their son. (25 minutes)
#8499 Healing & Grief - Facing Death (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
In this episode, Gordon Lang confronts his own mortality when he is diagnosed with cancer. Gordon discusses his emotions, hopes, and fears, as he contemplates his own life's journey and its imminent conclusion. (25 minutes)
#8500 Healing & Grief - Understanding Grief (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
This program introduces grief and its many possible effects. The series host, Gordon Lang, explains his counseling strategy and discusses the many forms that grief takes: anger, fear, disbelief, loneliness, depression, fear, powerlessness, guilt, and exhaustion, to name only a few. (25 minutes)
#8501 Healing & Grief - Portraits of Grief (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
This program takes a collection of deeply personal interviews and relates them to the different stages of the grieving process: disbelief, sadness, loneliness, depression, fear, anger, guilt, and exhaustion. The viewer also sees how grief is a process that can lead to understanding and acceptance. (25 minutes)
#1326 Mental Disorders - Treating Phobias (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
This program examines one kind of phobia: agoraphobia-the fear of open or public places that can, in extreme cases, be utterly incapacitating. It looks at the disorder through the eyes of a victim who talks about her first panic attack and the progression of the phobia, which ultimately left her totally house-bound. It also shows a therapy session and describes other treatments, including confrontation and the use of tranquilizers and beta-blockers. (19 minutes)
#1432 Mental Disorders - Depression (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
This program explains the differences between occasional and realistically motivated mood changes and depression, and within the category of depression, different levels of severity. Clinical depression cannot be overcome by willing it away but requires treatment whose nature depends on the severity of the disease: chemicals that control but do not cure depression; psychotherapy; in severe cases, electro-convulsive therapy. (19 minutes)
#2375 Mental Disorders - Panic! (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
This program from The Doctor Is In explains anxiety disorders, which include panic attacks, phobias, and agoraphobia. It follows two agoraphobics through three years of treatment; a man discusses his phobia of poisoning himself; and a woman shows how she worked through a fear of flying. Researchers explain their evidence for a biological cause for anxiety disorders. Doctors David Sheehan of the University of South Florida Psychiatry Center and Charles Ravaris of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center discuss the disorders and their treatments. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center production. (26 minutes)
#2630 Mental Disorders - Schizophrenia: The Voices Within, The Community Without (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
This program discusses the nature, symptoms, and psychotropic medications used to control hallucinations, paranoia, and other evidences of schizophrenia; it focuses on the deinstitutionalization of patients, explaining the problems of releasing patients with mental disorders into communities with insufficient resources to deal with them. (19 minutes)
#2889 Mental Disorders - When the Blues Won't Go Away: Women and Depression (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Depression is the most pervasive of all mental health problems for American women in all age groups, seriously affecting five to ten million of them every year. Publisher Frances Lear and four other women tell their stories of this debilitating illness and how they overcame it. This program offers a positive, hopeful approach to a devastating problem. (28 minutes)
#2892 Mental Disorders - Unmasking Depression (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
"Quiet desperation," is how millions of Americans describe their lives. They are suffering from depression, the most common mental illness in our society. This program follows the lives of four adults in their prime years. We hear about their fears and emotional pain, their thoughts of suicide. The best part of the program comes when they explain how they overcame depression, in ways that others can learn from. (28 minutes)
#3168 Mental Disorders - When Panic Strikes (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
This program begins with a description of how it feels to have a panic attack. The victim, who had had panic attacks for years, explains that she at first thought she had a physical problem but found no physician who correctly diagnosed the condition. When she was finally diagnosed as agoraphobic, treatment included medication and exposure therapy. A psychiatrist says that 80-85% of panic attack patients can lead nearly normal lives with the proper combination of medication and behavioral therapy. (19 minutes)
#3173 Mental Disorders - Depression: Back from the Bottom (Run time 17 min.) DVD $89.95
This program explains the symptoms of depression and the range of treatment options, from antidepressant medication to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). It also explains the differences between the old and new ECT procedure, showing how ECT is thought to stimulate the brain's neurotransmitters, restoring the brain's chemical balance. Two patients, both suffering from severe depression, explain what it feels like to be severely depressed, and how they manage to go on. (17 minutes)
#4385 Mental Disorders - Coping with Phobias (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program explains why people have phobias and how they can usually be overcome. It focuses on fear of flying, explaining how to understand what is happening on the plane and within oneself and thereby become more comfortable with flying. The only phobia more common than fear of flying is fear of public speaking; the program visits a speech class to explain the dynamics of this phobia and provide specific suggestions on overcoming the fears involved. (28 minutes)
#5366 Mental Disorders - The Compulsive Mind (Run time 18 min.) DVD $89.95
This program focuses on a woman with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), who suffers from a fear of contamination. The woman describes her washing routines, explaining how she washes anywhere from eight to 200 times a day. A psychiatrist explains what OCD is and that these patients know their behavior is irrational. The program discusses the brain chemical serotonin and explains the role of medication and behavioral therapy in the treatment of OCD. Finally, the program observes the OCD patient as she works with her therapist. (18 minutes)
#5385 Mental Disorders - Treating Tourette's and Other Mental Illnesses (Run time 18 min.) DVD $89.95
A psychiatrist who suffers from Tourette's syndrome is profiled, his speech interrupted by vocalizations and uncontrollable movements; with medication, he can live a fairly normal life. The program explains the imbalance in the brain chemical dopamine, which can cause Tourette's; how dopamine and other chemicals affect the brain; mental disorders and family history; diagnosis of Tourette's and other mental illnesses in children; medications and their side effects; psychotherapy and counseling; drug abuse and mental illness; and what imaging techniques reveal about mental illness. (18 minutes)
#5552 Mental Disorders - Mental Illness (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
The first step toward diagnosing and treating mental illnesses is to understand them. This classic program introduces three fundamental types of abnormal psychology: severe anxiety, clinical depression, and schizophrenia. Although there is much yet to learn about these conditions, their complexities are steadily yielding to scientific and medical research. (23 minutes)
#5786 Mental Disorders - Depression: Beyond the Blues (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
Depression is not just a passing mood of sadness experienced at one time or another during our lives. It is a common medical condition affecting 10 million Americans every year. This program talks with a psychiatrist who explains the causes, symptoms, and treatments for depression. A woman whose father killed himself speaks firsthand about what it's like to lose a loved one to suicide. The program also profiles a young girl and a man who were so depressed that they attempted suicide, and they explain how thankful they are to have received help they desperately wanted. Many people with depression never seek professional help. The program stresses the need for both early diagnosis and the treatment of depression. (19 minutes)
#5827 Mental Disorders - Understanding Schizophrenia (Run time 21 min.) DVD $89.95
Schizophrenia is the most severe of the serious mental illnesses, and it is more common than diseases such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes, or Alzheimer's disease. This program explains research on the disease, speaking with leading medical researchers to explore what we do and don't know about schizophrenia. The program profiles an individual with schizophrenia and explains how the disease has affected his life and his family's and how they are coping with it. (21 minutes)
#5828 Mental Disorders - Understanding Depression (Run time 22 min.) DVD $89.95
Depression affects over 4% of the population of the U.S.-over 10 million people-annually. It is a condition that will affect one in five Americans over the course of their lifetime. A depressive illness can be devastating not only for the affected, but also for family and friends. This program focuses on current research into depression, explaining the medications and psychosocial therapies that can help to eliminate the symptoms of the disease. The program profiles a woman with clinical depression and examines how her life and that of her family have been affected by the disease. (22 minutes)
#5829 Mental Disorders - Understanding Addiction (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
Currently, there are over 23 million Americans addicted to alcohol or other drugs, with devastating consequences not only for the addicts and their families, but also for the nation as a whole. This program explains current research into why people become addicted, what puts them at risk, and what the best treatments may be. The program profiles an individual who was an alcoholic and has gone through the process of recovery. (24 minutes)
#6055 Mental Disorders - Multiple Personality Disorder: In the Shadows (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) is a completely preventable medical condition. Studies show that the average MPD patient spends seven years and receives three incorrect diagnoses before receiving an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. It is now recognized that MPD is the result of severe childhood trauma, usually sexual and physical abuse-and it develops as a coping mechanism in young children who develop other personalities to deal with pain, fear, and danger. As the child grows older, this dissociation ceases to be a coping mechanism and becomes a block to normal functioning. This program shows how therapy can integrate the multiple personalities and make a patient "whole" again. Following two MPD patients and health care professionals, the program traces the struggles and triumphs in treating this disorder. (24 minutes)
#6788 Mental Disorders - Panic Attacks (Run time 15 min.) DVD $89.95
This program shows panic attacks as a symptom of other stress-related conditions-specific phobias, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorders-and also as a separate condition. A housewife and businessman tell how panic attacks placed limitations on their daily lives and how they finally sought help and relief. A specialist in behavioral psychotherapy provides professional advice on how to identify panic attacks and what treatments are available. (15 minutes)
#6789 Mental Disorders - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Run time 15 min.) DVD $89.95
Intrusive, repetitive thoughts, often of a disturbing nature, are the symptoms of the anxiety-related condition, OCD. In this program, two people whose lives have been shattered by OCD tell their stories. An 18-year-old woman talks about how she feels compelled to perform detailed rituals every day of her life. A man tells how he is tormented by the obsessive belief that he has killed someone. A psychiatrist sheds light on this bewildering condition. (15 minutes)
#6790 Mental Disorders - Self-Harm (Run time 15 min.) DVD $89.95
One person in 600 attended to by an emergency unit is a victim of self-harm-surely the most disturbing of all anxiety-related disorders. Its victims compulsively cut, burn, or strike themselves to relieve unresolved anxieties. This program shows how victims carry the burden of guilt and shame associated with their actions. Two women, who have regularly harmed themselves for years, share their tragic personal experiences. An expert from a hospital crisis recovery unit explains the theories behind the condition and discusses various treatments. (15 minutes)
#6791 Mental Disorders - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Run time 15 min.) DVD $89.95
While controversy flares over whether this anxiety-related condition even exists, two men are certain of it based on their own experiences. This program examines the disorder associated with anxiety symptoms experienced following the witnessing of a traumatic event. One man, who witnessed the deaths of his two teenage daughters, and another man shot in an IRA ambush, give highly personal accounts of the behavioral changes experienced as a result of the traumas. An expert from a hospital traumatic stress unit tells why she supports the view that the condition does, indeed, exist. (15 minutes)
#6793 Mental Disorders - Body Dysmorphic Disorder (Run time 15 min.) DVD $89.95
BDD, as it is called, afflicts people by causing them to become obsessed with the idea that they must drastically and constantly alter their appearance. Two apparently normal, attractive women discuss their experiences with BDD. An expert attempts to unravel the mysteries behind this unusual condition. (15 minutes)
#6949 Mental Disorders - Psychosurgery: Best Hope or False Hope? (Run time 52 min.) DVD $89.95
Only those who suffer from emotional illness fully comprehend the desperation that drives them to radical treatments such as psychosurgery. In this program, viewers get a sense of that desperation as three British patients explain how their particular disorders-manic depression, obsessive-compulsive behavior-have crippled their lives, and why they've chosen irreversible brain surgery as their last, best hope for a normal life. British doctors candidly discuss both the risk factors and low success rates-one out of three patients are actually helped, often only minimally. Filmed operations contain footage which some viewers may find disturbing. (52 minutes)
#7355 Mental Disorders - John's Not Mad: Tourette's Syndrome (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
John Davidson is 16 and often flies into hyperactive outbursts, punctuated by profanity. He has a nervous disorder called Tourette's syndrome-a socially crippling condition that causes John to uncontrollably say and do things. In this program, we follow John through an ordinary day, during which he struggles and mostly fails to control his behavior. Family members describe the daily strain of living with someone with Tourette's, and John himself admits to frustration so intense that he sometimes contemplates suicide. Specialist Dr. Oliver Sacks explains the levels of severity in individual patients, and calls for public awareness and sensitivity toward those who are afflicted. A BBC Production. (30 minutes)
#9257 Mental Disorders - Lost in the Mirror: Women with Multiple Personalities (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
In this program, ABC News anchors Diane Sawyer and Sam Donaldson study the causes and key signs of dissociative identity disorder and the fragmented lives of two people dealing with its effects. "It isn't role playing and it is not mood swings. They are totally separate entities," says Chris Sizemore, the inspiration for the 1957 film The Three Faces of Eve. For 44 years, 22 personalities of various ages ruled her life. But for Lucy, a wife and mother of two, her personalities are not yet fully reintegrated. Sexually abused as a child, she developed seven little-girl personalities in addition to her adult one-further proof that child abuse can shatter an entire life. (23 minutes)
#10004 Mental Disorders - Myths about Madness: Challenging Stigma and Changing Attitudes (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Fear and misunderstanding are major roadblocks on the path to effective community care for people with mental illnesses. This concise training tool exposes the myths surrounding afflictions of the mind and challenges discrimination against the mentally ill. Interviews with mental health professionals, journalists, researchers, and people who have themselves been through the mental health system raise questions about the public's attitude toward mental illness. In addition, people diagnosed with mental health problems speak candidly about the stigmatizing impact of living with a label. (23 minutes)
#10045 Mental Disorders - Schizophrenia: New Definitions, New Therapies (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
Using interviews with medical authorities including neuropsychiatrist Richard Petty, of the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, and outstanding computer animation of the brain, this program provides an update on the causes and treatments of schizophrenia. NewsHour correspondent Susan Dentzer focuses on a young Philadelphia man trying desperately to control this devastating disorder. Although new atypical antipsychotic drugs such as Olanzapine, Risperidone, and Quetiapine are proving helpful-to those who can afford them-experts agree that a strong community support program is also essential to achieve lasting recovery. (29 minutes)
#29219 Mental Disorders - Postpartum Depression and the Yates Killings (Run time 22 min.) DVD $89.95
At the far end of the postpartum psychological spectrum lies postpartum psychosis, a state of mind where killing one's children sometimes seems the best way to protect them. Filmed on the eve of the arraignment of Andrea Yates, who was charged with drowning her five children, this ABC News program seeks to understand postpartum depression within the context of the Yates tragedy. In addition, a panel of experts addresses the unfortunate lack of communication between doctors and new mothers on the subject of postpartum depression, outlines the warning signs for such depression, and discusses treatment options. (22 minutes)
#31410 Mental Disorders - Kay Redfield Jamison: Surviving Bipolar Disorder (Run time 21 min.) DVD $89.95
Psychiatry professor and clinical psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison knows all about bipolar disorder-from the inside out. A patient herself, she is a nationally recognized expert on that condition at Johns Hopkins University, shining light into the darkest and most frightening corners of her life for the benefit of medical science. In this ABC News program, Dr. Jamison-a MacArthur Fellow and author of An Unquiet Mind, her best-selling memoir, and Night Falls Fast, her critically acclaimed book on suicide-talks frankly about her experiences with a mental illness that almost claimed her life. (21 minutes)
#33235 Mental Disorders - Late-Life Depression (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
As many as one in five older Americans have late-life depression, which can lead to suicide. In this program from The Doctor Is In, three senior citizens describe how they have coped with this life-threatening illness. Medical commentary is provided by Charles Reynolds III, director of the Late-Life Depression Evaluation and Treatment Center at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; psychiatrist Thomas Oxman, of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; and Lucille Karatzas, director of Elder Services at Seacoast Mental Health Center. The central message? Late-life depression is a treatable disease, not an inevitable part of aging. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Production. (28 minutes)
#36263 Mental Disorders - Serial Rapist: A Criminal Profile (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
James Perry lived a double life. On the surface, he was a loving husband and father-but for more than five years, the Madison, Wisconsin, construction worker committed dozens of sexual attacks against children and young women. This ABC News program explains how the man known as the "mall rapist" was finally caught, and how his massive collection of digitized images and video provides chilling insight into the mind of a psychopath. Featuring interviews with Perry's former wife and with crime expert Maureen Wall, the program is not only a psychological criminal profile-it also sheds light on ways for parents to protect children from predators. (24 minutes)
#37386 Mental Disorders - Teens Hooked on Porn (Run time 57 min.) DVD $89.95
Whether they live in America, Britain, or elsewhere, most teenage boys have been exposed to some form of pornography. But the Internet has radically escalated that exposure-to the point at which many adolescents are addicted. This program follows the stories of teenage porn addicts as they struggle with the issues that drive their behavior-although not all are open to soul-searching. Darryl, age 17, doesn't think he has a problem, but 16-year-old Malcolm has recognized his addiction and has begun seeing a therapist. Colin, age 14 and a devout Christian, needs help too but is unsure about approaching his pastor. All of their stories are tied together by issues of anger, aggression, and inhibition, and raise questions about the role of parents. A BBCW Production. (57 minutes)
#38790 Mental Disorders - Diagnosing Depression (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Although the stigma of depression is fading, less than half of those who need help with depression will seek it out. Using several patient histories, this program addresses mild, moderate, and severe depression as well as the specialized cases of vascular depression, treatment-resistant depression, and the depressive aspect of bipolar disorder. Signs and symptoms of depression are spelled out, and multimodal treatment through psychotherapy, medication, support groups, and aerobic exercise is discussed. Commentary is provided by Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health; Susan Blumenthal, of the Georgetown University School of Medicine; and P. Murali Doraiswamy, of Duke University Medical Center. (28 minutes)
#39414 Mental Disorders - PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
A psychiatric disorder, PTSD generally follows life-threatening events like natural disasters, terrorist incidents, and military combat. Unfortunately, many PTSD victims don't realize what afflicts them. This program expands awareness and knowledge of the disorder and explores the latest treatment options available today. In an illuminating case study, a Vietnam veteran who developed PTSD after his tour of duty explains how the condition destroyed his personal life and forced him into bankruptcy before he found relief through Traumatic Incident Reduction Therapy. Expert commentary comes from Dr. Glen Schiraldi of the University of Maryland and Terry Luper of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The effect of PTSD on older veterans is a featured topic. (24 minutes)
#1379 Stress Programs - Managing Stress (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
This program distinguishes between positive stress, which can strengthen the immune system, and negative stress, which can increase the likelihood of heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer. It shows how different types of stress affect productivity, and how an individual can reduce stress in his or her life. (19 minutes)
#1687 Stress Programs - One Nation Under Stress (Run time 52 min.) DVD $89.95
Stress is everywhere-at home and on the job, on the farm and in the city, in the executive suite, the steno pool, the classroom, and on the production line; and it is being increasingly implicated in immune system dysfunction, cancer, hypertension, heart disease, ulcers, and a host of other illnesses. This program seeks to help viewers understand what causes stress, explain its consequences, and demonstrate ways in which stress can be turned into a positive force. Hosted by Merlin Olsen, the program emphasizes that stress is a different variable for everyone and shows different ways in which people are coping with it, citing the English philosopher Bertrand Russell: "It is not the experience that happens to you, it is what you do with the experience that happens to you." (52 minutes)
#3151 Stress Programs - Reducing Stress (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
What was an emergency response in our prehistoric ancestors is often the automatic response today. The result is burnout, also muscle tension problems, ulcers, anxiety disorders-in short, the effects of stress. This program explains that a wide variety of physical problems, including heart attacks and stroke, can be caused by stress, and recommends physical and mental relaxation techniques, as well as some major lifestyle changes. The program also covers post-traumatic stress syndrome: how terror can alter brain chemistry and how we are currently dealing with PTSD. (19 minutes)
#4382 Stress Programs - Can't Slow Down (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
This program examines Americans' increasingly hurried lifestyle, working 160 hours a year more than they did in 1970. And for what? Because of the urge to acquire, the pressure to achieve or be fired, the need to achieve outside the home, and longer commutes to work, couples are too busy to talk to one another. The program asks how we are spending our time and how the constant rush is affecting everything about our relationships and our health. (28 minutes)
#5545 Stress Programs - Coping with Stress (Run time 23 min.) DVD $89.95
Since it was first coined by Canadian scientist Hans Selye, the word stress has been part of our everyday vocabulary. What exactly is stress? This program explains that it is a biological response of an organism to its environment, and indispensable to survival. However, when stress becomes chronic, as is often the case in contemporary life, stress can lead to sickness, or even death. However, stress is not limited to living organisms: the concept of stress is used by engineers to define the tension forces in structures such as bridges, as well as the mechanical strains in biological tissues such as bone and muscle. Using this stress concept, biomechanical technicians can increase strength and resilience in prostheses designed for the handicapped. (23 minutes)
#5725 Stress Programs - Stress: Keeping Your Cool (Run time 36 min.) DVD $89.95
This program looks at the impact that stress has on our society and describes positive and negative stress, stress control, and ways to simplify a hectic lifestyle. Experts identify what causes stress, why women are experiencing such high levels of stress in their lives, and how teenagers are particularly prone to stress. The program explores the relationship between stress levels and health and the growing recognition in medical circles that physical ailments are often linked to, if not caused by, mental and emotional stress and anxieties. (36 minutes)
#1312 Suicide - Everything to Live For (Run time 52 min.) DVD $89.95
Suicide occurs in every racial, ethnic, religious, and economic group, among males and females. This documentary features the stories of four youngsters: two attempted and two committed suicide. The families and the two surviving teens talk about the causes or presumed causes of the catastrophic actions taken; the cries for help that went unheard; the warning signals to which peers, parents, teachers, and counselors must be alert and responsive. (52 minutes)
#1382 Suicide - Teenage Suicide (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
This documentary explores some of the reasons teens commit suicide and describes some of the behavior patterns to which family and friends should be alert. A young man who attempted suicide describes his calls for help and how he hoped they would be heeded. (19 minutes)
#2385 Suicide - Dying to Be Heard...Is Anybody Listening? (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
This program offers specific advice on how to recognize teens in danger of committing suicide and successfully intervene. It talks to teens who have attempted sucide about their reasons for trying and about their lives after treatment, and profiles a Texas community that banded together to stop a rash of teen suicides, showing how they turned tragedy into triumph. (25 minutes)
#3922 Suicide - Suicide: Facing the Loss of a Child (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
Three and a half years ago, Peter and Iris's two boys, ages 18 and 14, took their own lives. A year ago, Graham and Dorothy's 16-year-old daughter died after an overdose of antidepressants. The two families talk about how they faced the loss of their children by suicide. (26 minutes)
#7652 Suicide - Don't Kill Yourself": One Survivor's Message" (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
This is the story of a young man, David, who at 16 years of age survived a suicide attempt. Now 22, he shares the events of his life leading up to the attempt, including how low self-esteem led to drug addiction, and how the addiction encouraged the sense that life was no longer worth living. David goes on to describe the suicide attempt, his recovery from addiction, and how he has since changed his life. (25 minutes)
#10043 Suicide - Suicide: A Guide for Prevention (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
The Samaritans, a British suicide intervention organization, fields 2.5 million phone calls per year. Using dramatized scenarios and commentary by healthcare professionals, this program replaces myths with facts about suicide: who is at risk, how warning signs are displayed, what some of the triggers are, and how to intervene. Of special emphasis is the vital need for the medical staff to engage in a compassionate dialogue with parasuicides in order to correctly assess their readiness for release and need for referrals to mental health specialists and social workers. (26 minutes)
#11003 Suicide - Suicide: Dead Is Forever (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
Viewers take a tour through a cemetery, stopping at the graves of teens who have committed suicide. We see their lives through flashbacks and the reasons they died. Then we hear from survivors, those who have been affected by suicide, and learn about risk factors, statistics, and warning signs. Using an unusual dramatic approach, this video provides an overview of suicide and its impact on friends and family members, and discusses warning signals and avenues of help. A Meridian Production.One 19-minute video.
#26684 Anger & Conflict Management - Truce: Conflict Resolution (Run time 18 min.) DVD $95.95
When conflict escalates into violence, everyone loses. Since it's impossible to eliminate conflict from our lives, we need to find a way to resolve it. This video provides viewers with a series of problem-solving steps to settle misunderstandings peacefully. Teens will learn that resolving conflict isn't about winning, losing, or competing; it's about having respect for others and learning to cooperate rather than instigate. (17 min.) A Meridian Production.
#28090 Eating Disorders - Eating Disorders: You Are Not Alone (Run time 30 min.) DVD $97.95
In a culture so concerned with physical appearance, some people's preoccupation with diet turns into an obsession. This program provides information about the three major eating disorders-anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and compulsive overeating-and examines behavioral aspects associated with each. The intent of this video is to foster communication and understanding in parents, teachers, health care professionals, and others who may interact with individuals caught up in this progressive illness. Includes teacher's guide. (29 min.)
#24633 Family Issues - Adoption: It's an Option (Run time 23 min.) DVD $97.95
This program explores the option of adoption in a factual manner. It includes interviews with birthmothers who have made adoption plans for their babies, as well as interviews with adoptees. A straightforward presentation, this program does not advocate adoption over any other solution to an unplanned pregnancy. A Meridian Production.One 22 minute video.
#25573 Family Issues - Hotline: Coping with Family Abuse (Run time 27 min.) DVD $97.95
A teen "telephone hotline" sets the stage for the topic of family violence. Volunteers learn the facts about violent and abusive family situations as well as successful techniques for helping "callers" cope. Two facts are stressed throughout the video: no one deserves to be a victim and help is available. (29 min.) A Meridian Production.
#33673 Family Issues - Marital Sex: A Religious Perspective (Run time 38 min.) DVD $99.95
This program examines religious guidelines designed to regulate and add meaning to the sex lives of married couples of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh faiths. Topics include when intercourse is permissible and when it should be avoided, whether it is sinful for men and women to use contraception, what type of genital contact is allowable, whether marital sex for non-procreative pleasure is morally acceptable, and possible penalties for marital sex that is deemed sinful. Special attention is given to ways in which these religions are changing, or not changing, with the times. Contains mature themes and explicit language and imagery. (38 minutes)
#33674 Family Issues - Fornication: A Religious Perspective (Run time 37 min.) DVD $99.95
Whether viewed as a spiritual matter of immorality or a secular concern with maintaining family lineage, premarital and extramarital sex have caused consternation since ancient times. In this program, theologians Melissa Raphael and Gavin D'Costa, author Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood, and others explain what constitutes adultery and talk about how Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism regard women, virginity, chastity, promiscuity, prostitution, and polygamy. In addition, punishments that may await people in this life or hereafter who engage in fornication are described. Contains mature themes and explicit language and imagery. (37 minutes)
#6066 Mental Disorders - Understanding Depression: Through the Darkness (Run time 24 min.) DVD $99.95
This program explores clinical depression, explaining the symptoms, various treatment options, and the need to erase the negative stigma that this illness carries. The program features three patients who suffer from clinical depression, examining the devastating effect of the illness on them, how they have dealt with the social stigma, the roles of their families and friends during their illness, and perhaps most importantly, how they have fared in their treatment programs. Psychiatrists in the program discuss the symptoms of depression, the importance of seeking help, and the need for society to accept clinical depression just as they would other illnesses. (24 minutes)
#6306 Mental Disorders - The Psychopathic Mind (Run time 27 min.) DVD $99.95
A psychopath could be your neighbor, your spouse, maybe even your child. An estimated three million psychopaths-one person in a hundred-are walking the streets of North America. Exactly who and what makes someone a psychopath, and how are they classified medically? This program answers these questions as it takes viewers through the mind of a diagnosed psychopath and speaks with one expert who believes that the condition is incurable. (27 minutes)
#6444 Mental Disorders - Diverting the Mentally Ill from Jail (Run time 25 min.) DVD $99.95
Approximately 670,000 inmates with serious mental illnesses are admitted to U.S. jails each year. Some of these must be held in jail because of the seriousness of their crimes, but many of those arrested for nonviolent crimes could be diverted to community-based mental health programs. This documentary examines the problems caused by jailing inmates with mental illnesses, and explores the benefits of diverting these individuals to mental health programs. The documentary profiles several inmates with mental illnesses and examines how best to break the unproductive cycle of repeated arrests and jail for individuals who might otherwise be helped through a broad array of programs. (25 minutes)
#7243 Anger & Conflict Management - Peace on the Playground (Run time 27 min.) DVD $129.95
This program, hosted by a father and his young son, teaches children and parents how to deal with the problems of violence and the proliferation of guns. In the first segment, kids suggest ways to deal with anger, including counting, exercise, or doing something they enjoy. A second segment puts television violence into perspective, and provides tips for parents on how to monitor what their children watch. A cartoon character demonstrates how to defuse a potentially violent situation. A final segment discusses the dangers of guns in the home and at school. (27 minutes)
#9033 Body Image & Beauty - The Cult of the Beautiful Body (Run time 30 min.) DVD $129.95
Extreme body consciousness has taken youthful narcissism to new heights, making "boy meets girl" a ruthless physical selection process. This program examines the cult of the body in Western society and how it has reduced today's courtship ritual to a one-dimensional experience based primarily on physical attraction. Beginning with the pressure that men currently feel to conform to an abstract physical ideal, the role of the media is scrutinized, along with the culture that from Munich to Los Angeles excludes all who do not espouse the ideals of bodily perfection at the expense of all else. A Deutsche Welle Production. (30 minutes)
#29071 Body Image & Beauty - Return of the Tribal (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
For some people, body modification is a form of pop expression, while for others it is a rite of passage and a symbol of belonging. This program travels through the United States, Ethiopia, and Sri Lanka to examine different types of body modification practiced today, including body painting, tattooing, scarification, body piercing, and structural alteration. Some content may be objectionable. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes)
#33698 Body Image & Beauty - What's Health Got to Do with It? Young Women Speak Out (Run time 53 min.) DVD $129.95
This engaging documentary follows a diverse group of 16 teenage girls as they explore the meanings of physical, mental, and emotional health in their lives. Filmed over a four-week course at Smith College, the young women share their candid views on topics such as body image, depression, eating disorders, relationships, sexual orientation, sexuality, and violence. An honest and ultimately moving portrayal of the unrelenting pressures in the lives of adolescent females today that will resonate with parents, educators, and students. (53 minutes)
#5370 Eating Disorders - Dying to Be Thin (Run time 18 min.) DVD $129.95
This program profiles a young woman obsessed with the desire to be thin. It has taken her four hospitalizations and years of outpatient therapy to help her overcome her problem. Doctors in this program discuss the characteristics of anorexia nervosa and bulimia and identify those most likely to be affected by these disorders. Self-starvation and binging and purging can lead to cardiac problems and a cessation of the menstrual cycle. And although great efforts have been made to educate people about eating disorders, they continue to represent a nationwide problem. (18 minutes)
#6240 Eating Disorders - Eating Disorders: The Hunger Within (Run time 42 min.) DVD $129.95
There are an estimated eleven million people in the U.S. who suffer from eating disorders, and thousands of these die each year from acute anorexia. In this program, ABC News correspondent Lynn Sherr visits the Montreux Counseling Center in Victoria, British Columbia, where Peggy Claude-Pierre offers hope, a voice of comfort and reason, and a highly successful alternative treatment plan for anorexia and bulimia to more than 400 patients annually. The program demonstrates firsthand how Ms. Claude-Pierre has succeeded where traditional medical care has failed in bringing young people back to life and health from an illness that has a high relapse rate and no cure in sight. (42 minutes)
#10993 Eating Disorders - Eating Disorders: New Approaches to Treatment (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
Eating disorders are not just about food, but about the struggle with loss of emotional control. This program from The Doctor Is In examines the use of antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy to combat these dangerous illnesses. Russell Marx, M.D., of the eating disorders program at the Princeton Medical Center, and Marcia Herrin, Ed.D., M.P.H., R.D., of the Dartmouth College Health Service, explain what is being done to prevent and treat one of the most lethal categories of mental illness. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center production. (28 minutes)
#34664 Eating Disorders - The Stockholm Solution: New Therapies for Eating Disorders (Run time 37 min.) DVD $129.95
With a 75 percent success rate in treating anorexia and bulimia, Stockholm's Karolinska Institute is in the vanguard of eating disorder therapy. This program follows patients through the Karolinska regimen as they relearn healthy eating behavior, gradually recognizing natural feelings of satiety with the help of a computerized biofeedback system. Closely observing the Institute's counseling sessions, the video shows how the Karolinska approach counters traditional clinical methods, which typically involve medication, family dynamics, and a high rate of recidivism. The Stockholm Solution portrays a medical revolution-and what is for many young women a new lease on life. (37 minutes)
#6297 Mental Disorders - Depression and Manic Depression (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
Depression affects over 17 million Americans each year, and it's been estimated that only one-third of this group gets any treatment, largely because of stigma and fear. The lack of treatment results in a high number of suicides, making this illness as fatal as any other illness and a public epidemic. This program from The Doctor Is In explains the disease through the experiences of several people, including 60 Minutes host Mike Wallace; Kay Redfield Jamison, psychiatrist and author of a book on her life with manic-depressive illness; artist Lama Dejani; and State Department official Robert Boorstin. The program also provides an overview of medications and therapy being used. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Production. (28 minutes)
#7327 Mental Disorders - Panic Attack: Causes and Treatments (Run time 29 min.) DVD $129.95
You are in a cold, clammy sweat, and pervaded by fear. These are two symptoms of a panic attack, a debilitating mental disorder that affects thousands of people worldwide. This program explores the possible causes of the condition and examines treatments, particularly cognitive therapy. Three patients talk about their lives lived under the pall of panic attacks. One patient, whose first occurrence was on a train trip, takes a short train journey as part of her liberating therapy. A BBC Production. (29 minutes)
#7399 Mental Disorders - Unlocking the Secrets of Schizophrenia (Run time 21 min.) DVD $129.95
At least two million people will fall victim to schizophrenia in their lifetime-more men than women, according to statistics. This award-winning documentary goes straight to the National Institutes of Health to examine what causes schizophrenia and what some of the available treatments are. See how medications are researched and developed and how scientists, mental health advocacy groups, and government agencies are joining forces to improve the lives of people with schizophrenia. Senator Peter Domenici (R-NM) discusses specific government efforts aimed at dealing with the disorder. (21 minutes)
#7688 Mental Disorders - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Alternative Treatment (Run time 15 min.) DVD $129.95
Their behavior is strange, and they know it. Fixated on particular actions, they perform them over and over. The startling fact is that 1 in every 40 Americans is affected by OCD to varying degrees. A recently developed program, however, is bringing hope to millions of sufferers. Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz believes that many patients, by gaining self-awareness, can cure themselves. Two patients in this program believe it too, and testify that Schwartz's three-step treatment has helped them to successfully control their obsessive-compulsive behaviors. The patients include a man who compulsively saves newspapers, and a women who counts and recounts the items in her refrigerator. An ABC News 20/20 production. (15 minutes)
#7689 Mental Disorders - Children with OCD (Run time 15 min.) DVD $129.95
John Stossel of ABC News interviews the members of two families who have children afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The interviews are heart-wrenching, as we watch the children perform obsessive rituals while their parents helplessly watch. Little Rachel can't stand anything touching her body and screams, "Mommy. Take them off. Take them off!" Jade Gregory repeats the mantra, "Unplugged. Unplugged," and exhibits other compulsive behaviors, such as tying and retying her shoes. Family members describe the progression of the condition in their children and the difficulties of everyday living. Dr. John Piacentini, director of a children's OCD clinic, explains the chemical causes of the condition, the treatments available, and what parents can do to help afflicted children. (15 minutes)
#10044 Mental Disorders - Depression: Moving On (Run time 27 min.) DVD $129.95
It can happen to teens. New mothers. The elderly. In fact, it can afflict almost anyone. Filmed in the U.K., this comprehensive program spells out the details of clinical depression in seven concise segments: Defining the Problem, Classifying the Symptoms, Depression in Children, Depression in Adults, Supporting Patients with Depression, Assessment, and Therapy and Treatment. Dramatizations of nurse/patient interviews offer the opportunity to observe firsthand the signs of depression reflected by the patients' answers and behaviors. Patient assessment questions are provided as well. (27 minutes)
#10504 Mental Disorders - Hearing Voices: Approaches to Managing Psychosis (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
For decades, a medical model has dominated the treatment of psychotics who hear voices. More recently, however, a psychological model, through which patients are taught to understand their voices, is gathering support. In this program, noted psychiatrist Dr. Marius Romme and mental health professionals from both sides of the debate air their views on treating this severe psychosis. The value of the psychological approach is stressed, as voice hearers discuss their successes with counseling, support groups, and focus-building exercises. Does talking about the voices offer a viable alternative to lifelong medication? A BBC Production. (50 minutes, color)
#10992 Mental Disorders - Childhood Depression (Run time 29 min.) DVD $129.95
Four to eight percent of American children experience bouts of major depression. Among teenage girls, that rate can be as high as sixteen percent. This program from The Doctor Is In emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and treatment to avoid potential patterns of repeated depression later in life-and to prevent substance abuse and suicide. Children suffering from depression talk about how they cope with it, while child psychiatrist David G. Fassler, author of Help Me, I'm Sad, and Steven Atkins, a psychologist at Dartmouth Medical School, provide authoritative insights. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Production. (29 minutes)
#10994 Mental Disorders - Women and Depression (Run time 29 min.) DVD $129.95
Clinical depression affects 19 million Americans, of whom two-thirds are women. This program from The Doctor Is In addresses the good news about depression: it is a diagnosable and treatable illness. Valerie Davis Raskin, a therapist and research psychiatrist whose practice is solely dedicated to women, and Ardis Olsen, a physician and researcher at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, are joined by patients and their families to explain the symptoms, effects, and treatment of depression. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Production. (29 minutes)
#11024 Mental Disorders - The Torment of Schizophrenia (Run time 53 min.) DVD $129.95
Although one out of every hundred people in the world will likely wrestle with schizophrenia, the disease remains one of psychiatry's greatest therapeutic challenges. Enhanced by computer animations of the brain, this poignant program uses several case studies and expert commentary to promote a better understanding of schizophrenia: its causes and warning signs, current treatments, and how it affects the lives of those who have it. The phases of a psychotic attack are described, and positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms are defined. In addition, approaches to mainstreaming patients are addressed. (53 minutes)
#11122 Mental Disorders - Depression: Beating the Blues (Run time 23 min.) DVD $129.95
According to the World Health Organization, depression is the number one cause of disability in the U.S. today, with an economic cost exceeding $44 billion. What are the symptoms? How do biological, genetic, and psychosocial factors affect mood-regulating neurotransmitters? And are women at special risk? In this program, Martin Keller, of the Brown University School of Medicine, and other experts answer questions about the pathology of depressive disorders and current treatment options such as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive therapy. (23 minutes)
#12038 Mental Disorders - Depression: Old Problem, New Therapy (Run time 23 min.) DVD $129.95
In this program, Dr. Dennis Charney, of Yale University; Lydia Lewis, of the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association; and other mental health professionals discuss the types, symptoms, and triggers of depression as they relate both to adolescents and to adults. Promising antidepressants such as selective norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors, Substance P antagonists, and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor antagonists are considered, as are advances in brain scan technology. The value of psychiatric counseling and peer support groups is also stressed. (23 minutes)
#29106 Mental Disorders - Episode 1: Experiences and Causes (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
This program explores the symptoms of clinical depression and the physiological, psychological, and environmental factors that can trigger the illness. Patients evocatively describe their feelings of negativity, isolation, and despair while cognitive therapy pioneer Aaron Beck and other researchers discuss the results of their inquiries into contributory causes of depression. Commentary on depression-induced distortions of the thought process, animal and human models of secure and insecure attachment, and a gene combination that may cause a predisposition to depression provides a variety of perspectives on this disorder. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#29107 Mental Disorders - Episode 2: Diagnosis and Chemistry (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
Often obscured by symptoms and circumstances, depression is notoriously difficult to diagnose. In this program, case studies of patients with adult, childhood, and postnatal depression define the spectrum of the illness. The history of a patient with Cushing's syndrome underscores the effects of cortisol on depression, while studies conducted by Oxford University and the University of Pittsburgh reveal the relationship of serotonin and glia to depression. Observations provided by patients, unsure of what is wrong with themselves and often feeling too ashamed or guilty to seek help, offer valuable insights. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#33014 Mental Disorders - Bipolar Disorder: Shifting Mood Swings (Run time 24 min.) DVD $129.95
Different from the routine ups and downs of life, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe-even to the point of being life-threatening. In this insightful program, patients speak from their own experience about the complexities of diagnosis and the very real danger of suicide, while family members and close friends address the strain of the condition's cyclic behavior. In addition, Robert Hirschfeld, of The University of Texas Medical Branch; Karen Wagner, director of UTMB's Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; and Joseph Calabrese, director of the Mood Disorders Research Program at University Hospitals of Cleveland, present new treatment options and medications for controlling bipolar disorder. (24 minutes)
#33449 Mental Disorders - Depression: A Backpack Full of Bricks (Run time 23 min.) DVD $129.95
Approximately 19 million American adults are grappling with depression. In this ABC News program, Ted Koppel talks with guests who have experienced the disease as well as family members who have lived through their loved ones' agonies. The program also pays tribute to the late actor Spalding Gray, who had the courage to go public with his condition, and features clips from his performances in which depression was the focus. (23 minutes)
#34261 Mental Disorders - Unchaining the Mind: Advances in Schizophrenia Research (Run time 36 min.) DVD $129.95
In the late 1790s the young director of a Paris insane asylum prohibited the use of chains and shackles. Philippe Pinel's decision is the first of many advances detailed in this program, which studies the history and physiology of schizophrenia, and illustrates current research aimed at finding a cure. Outlining the functions of neurotransmitters and the development of antipsychotic drugs, the video discusses newer medications and the importance of long-term care-with special attention to the "clubhouse" approach, including interviews with patients, psychiatrists, and mental health nurses. Cognitive therapy is also examined as a vital form of treatment. (36 minutes)
#35517 Mental Disorders - Understanding Mental Illness and Schizophrenia (Run time 27 min.) DVD $129.95
Although mental illnesses severely affect thoughts, moods, and coping abilities, a fulfilling life is still possible for people who face those challenges. Outlining the symptoms and possible causes of schizophrenia, clinical depression, and bipolar disorder, this program explores various treatment options and identifies ways that patients can achieve personal independence. Real-world success stories are featured, emphasizing the importance of support from family and friends, as well as the vital role that medication and therapy play. A detailed discussion of meds developed during the 1990s sheds light on their improvements over previous drugs, as well as concerns about their side effects. (27 minutes)
#36473 Mental Disorders - Deeply Depressed (Run time 46 min.) DVD $129.95
There is growing evidence that chronic depression is primarily a physical disease and should be treated like one. This program sheds much-needed light on vulnerability to depression, the subtle symptoms of the disease, and treatments involving psychotherapy and antidepressants such as SSRIs. Brain biochemistry and the serotonin transporter promoter gene are discussed as well, and stories of everyday people grappling with the illness express what it feels like to be clinically depressed-and, through treatment, the sensation of finding joy and balance seeping back into life. (46 minutes)
#36474 Mental Disorders - Acutely Anxious (Run time 48 min.) DVD $129.95
Acute anxiety, one of the most common psychiatric illnesses, makes everyday experiences like walking down the street or talking on the phone a source of potential terror. This program explains how and why this happens as it examines the physiology and psychology of anxiety, its symptoms, its highly maladaptive consequences, and treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Case studies involving panic disorders and social phobia are spotlighted. (48 minutes)
#39151 Mental Disorders - Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (Run time 79 min.) DVD $129.95
What mental and ethical lapses led average American soldiers to use torture at Abu Ghraib? What roles did "group think" and blind obedience play? How did the scandal impact America's credibility as a global defender of freedom and human rights? This program investigates how and why the atrocities took place as well as their long-term implications. The program features the voices of Iraqi victims-interviewed in Turkey after arduous attempts to meet with them-and now-penitent guards directly involved in torture at the prison. In addition, the film traces the events and decisions that created the political and psychological climate in which torture occurred, beginning with the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Contains explicit language and imagery. Viewer discretion is advised. An HBO Production. (79 minutes)
#11126 Stress Programs - Caught in the Speed Trap: Information Age Overload (Run time 43 min.) DVD $129.95
In today's high-speed, high-tech business world, more and more people are reaching their breaking points, falling ill and even dying. Filmed in the U.S., Japan, Canada, and France, this cautionary program takes an unflinching look at techno-stress and its expression as mood disorders, heart attacks, strokes, and brain hemorrhages. Powerful insights are provided by a diverse group including a psychiatrist, a time management consultant, an entrepreneur, and the parents of a young woman who worked herself to death. By contrast, SAS Institute is profiled as a positive example of a business that is as compassionate as it is profitable. (43 minutes)
#11398 Stress Programs - Coping with Stress (Run time 30 min.) DVD $129.95
A certain amount of stress can actually enhance performance and productivity. However, continually high levels of stress have been linked to all of the leading causes of death in America, including heart disease, cancer, and lung ailments. This program analyzes the role of stress in day-to-day life and in overall physical and mental health. Sources of stress are identified, and techniques for managing stress are suggested. Information on how to improve personal communication-a powerful safety valve-is also provided. (30 minutes)
#33438 Stress Programs - Time Frenzy: Keeping Up with Tomorrow (Run time 59 min.) DVD $129.95
One of the ironies of the ubiquitous technologies now in use is that they were supposed to save time and improve the quality of life. What went wrong? This cautionary program examines the social and ethical consequences of the increasingly fast pace of life in the U.S. It contrasts the American 24/7 work ethic with the business traditions of other countries and, in the process, examines the impact of technology on personal relationships, education, health, and the environment. (59 minutes)
#36472 Stress Programs - Seriously Stressed (Run time 46 min.) DVD $129.95
The pace of life has greatly increased, and the escalation of chronic stress is costing people their health, relationships, and careers. In this program, an immunologist, a psychiatrist, and a mental skills coach lay bare the symptoms of chronic stress, the negative impact on the body of continual exposure to adrenalin and cortisol, and biological and psychological factors that influence vulnerability to overstressing. The fight/flight/freeze response function and the stress/resistance/recovery curve are also addressed. Case studies include an IBM executive, an administrative assistant, and a crime scene videographer. (46 minutes)
#5771 Anger & Conflict Management - Avoiding Conflict: Dispute Resolution Without Violence (Run time 47 min.) DVD $149.95
Violence is the main concern of most Americans. This program details ways of stemming the rising tide of aggression in our schools and playgrounds, our streets and homes. It shows ordinary problems that can ignite into violence, and how the problems can be resolved peacefully. The program focuses not on the problems but on solutions as it highlights anti-violence programs that have made a difference by teaching dispute resolution, avoiding conflict, solving problems nonviolently, and averting domestic and street violence. (47 minutes)
#5689 Eating Disorders - The Silent Hunger: Anorexia and Bulimia (Run time 46 min.) DVD $149.95
This program answers two important questions: what are eating disorders, and what causes them? The program specifically examines anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating syndrome. Seven females who have all suffered from eating disorders, the father of a woman who died as a result of her disorder, and health professionals offer their insights and knowledge. These interviews are highlighted by dramatic sequences designed to encourage a greater understanding of the issues and emotions associated with eating disorders. (46 minutes)
#11651 Eating Disorders - Wasting Away: Anorexia Nervosa (Run time 47 min.) DVD $149.95
This emotionally charged program profiles four young women attempting to recover from anorexia nervosa. Ranging in age from 14 to 25, they struggle to gain weight while dealing with associated conditions such as osteoporosis and depression, family dysfunctionality, and a mind-set that equates starvation with self-control. Filmed at the adolescent eating disorder unit of Westmead Hospital in Sydney and a private outpatient clinic, the program captures the complexities of a devastating psychological disorder that drives women to continuously lose weight-even if it kills them. (47 minutes)
#36378 Eating Disorders - Fear of Fat: Eight Stories of Eating and Weight (Run time 61 min.) DVD $149.95
What is it like to eat around the clock? At 457 pounds, Wally knows. And Tammy, at 67 pounds, has experienced both anorexia and bulimia-at the same time. This haunting program introduces eight ordinary people who tell, in a chillingly matter-of-fact way, about their life-scarring-and even severely life-threatening-experiences with body weight and self-image. Bouts with eating disorders are described in detail, as well as deep feelings of hurt, anger, alienation, and utter hopelessness. Fear of Fat provides penetrating insights into society's unhealthy focus on thinness and the toll in mental and physical suffering that such cultural fixation exacts. (60 minutes)
#36518 Eating Disorders - Thin: Death by Eating Disorder (Run time 103 min.) DVD $149.95
A form of slow suicide: that is what eating disorders are. Filmed at The Renfrew Center of South Florida, this program closely follows four women, ages 15 to 30, into the weighing room, group and individual therapy sessions, the bedroom, and even the bathroom when the film's subjects relapse and purge. It also examines the pervasiveness of restrictive eating behaviors as well as the failure of the health insurance industry to address its clients' needs, while never shifting focus from the women themselves. An intimate and devastating portrait of self-loathing, denial, and depression. A brief status report on the patients' uneven experiences after being discharged concludes the program. Some content may be objectionable. An HBO Production. (1 hour 43 minutes)
#5254 Family Issues - Fatherless in America (Run time 26 min.) DVD $149.95
Increasingly, fathers are not present much beyond the act of procreation. The alarming fact is that-because of divorce, single-parenthood, incarceration, and welfare rules-nearly 40% of American children sleep in homes where their father does not live. This program looks at the problem, its causes, and its effects, from poverty to violence. It also looks at some efforts to reverse the growing trend toward fatherlessness in America. (26 minutes)
#29981 Family Issues - The Story of Fathers & Sons (Run time 46 min.) DVD $149.95
One father loses his two-month-old son; another father must watch his son grow up through prison bars; one son wants to be the father he never had; and another son sheds tears of joy to be an old man alongside his dad. This documentary explores one of the core human relationships in dozens of variations. The program's structure reflects the cycle of fatherhood and the path to maturity: birth, growing up, boys to men, and man to man. Among the many poignant stories told firsthand are those of actor Edward James Olmos and basketball star Shaquille O'Neal. (46 minutes)
#29982 Family Issues - Teens: That's Another Story (Run time 46 min.) DVD $149.95
A roller-coaster ride through the spirited and emotional world of raging hormones, this documentary explodes stereotypes about teenagers right from the start. In candid interviews, a diverse mix of real teens speak for themselves about their lives and concerns with a depth and level of sophistication that might surprise many adults. From 18-year-old Rick, who was born with the HIV virus, to Amanda Beard, who won an Olympic gold medal in swimming when she was 14, teens' stories run the gamut of experience. (47 minutes)
#2029 Mental Disorders - Mysteries of the Mind (Run time 58 min.) DVD $149.95
This program explores manic-depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, alcoholism, and other mood disorders whose victims show a lack of control over their behavior. It examines the neurochemical and genetic components of these disorders, as well as physiological, neurological, and biomedical research into the mysteries of the brain. The program shows the nature of these mood disorders and the pain they cause patients and their families. (45 minutes)
#2229 Mental Disorders - The Compulsive Mind: Tourette's Syndrome/OCD (Run time 19 min.) DVD $149.95
This program covers the nature and effects of OCD-obsessive-compulsive disorder-and examines its possible chemical causes and the role of medications and behavioral therapy in its treatment. An imbalance of serotonin may predispose people to OCD. It profiles a woman who washes as often as 200 times daily; a psychiatrist explains that OCD patients know their behavior is irrational-they would otherwise be diagnosed as psychotic. The program also profiles a psychiatrist suffering from Tourette's Syndrome, believed to be caused by an overproduction of the brain chemical dopamine; his speech is interrupted by vocalizations and uncontrollable movements, which can be somewhat controlled by medication. (19 minutes)
#7661 Mental Disorders - Organic Disorders (Run time 36 min.) DVD $149.95
This program, filmed in the U.K., demonstrates clinical organic disorders, their characteristics, and differential diagnoses. Divided into the two categories of dementia and delirium, the disorders discussed include those relating to psychoactive substance use; schizophrenia and delusional disorders; mood, neurotic stress-related, and somatoform disorders; and personality disorders. Each disorder is explained and identified by its characteristics. Dementia disorders include Alzheimer's, Pick's disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and HIV dementia. Delirium disorders include organic amnestic syndrome, organic personality disorder, frontal lobe syndrome, primary cerebral disease, systemic disease, endocrine disorders, exogenous toxic substances, and temporal lobe epilepsy. (36 minutes)
#7662 Mental Disorders - Disorders Due to Psychoactive Substance Abuse (Run time 33 min.) DVD $149.95
Psychiatric diagnosis can be classified into several main categories. This program, filmed in the U.K., focuses on alcoholism and the five main areas involving psychoactive substance abuse: dependence syndrome, withdrawal state, withdrawal state with delirium, psychotic disorder, and amnestic syndrome. Interviews with several alcoholics illustrate the various mental disorders associated with the illness, their symptoms, and the differential diagnoses associated with each, including Korsakov's psychosis. (33 minutes)
#7847 Mental Disorders - Challenge Cases for Differential Diagnosis (Run time 35 min.) DVD $149.95
This program, filmed in the U.K., offers viewers a chance to watch interviews with four patients and then, based on their symptoms, come up with their own differential diagnoses. The cases include a 22-year-old man who continually complains about body odor, when he does not have body odor; a 26-year-old man in a seemingly confused mental state; a 30-year-old woman with anxiety symptoms; and a seemingly normal young man who throws bricks through his neighbor's window. (35 minutes)
#7848 Mental Disorders - Mood Disorders (Run time 39 min.) DVD $149.95
Mood disorders, or affective disorders, are discussed in this program filmed in the U.K., together with their symptoms and differential diagnoses. Classifications are based upon the course and severity of symptoms. The two main classifications of mood disorders-manic and depressive-are clearly defined and differentiated according to symptoms. The persistent mood disorders cyclothymia and dysthymia are discussed, along with medical causes of mood disorders, such as hypothalamic tumor. All symptoms are clearly illustrated in interviews with patients suffering from degrees of the various disorders. (39 minutes)
#7849 Mental Disorders - Neurotic, Stress-Related, and Somatoform Disorders (Run time 45 min.) DVD $149.95
This program, filmed in the U.K., discusses the following disorders and their differential diagnoses: phobic anxiety; anxiety; obsessive-compulsive disorder, from minor to acute; stress reactions and adjustment; and dissociative disorders. Sub-disorders discussed include Korsakov's syndrome; agoraphobia and social phobia; generalized anxiety and mixed-anxiety-and-depressive disorder; panic disorder; and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Patients suffering from each disorder exhibit the various symptoms in interviews conducted by psychiatrists. (45 minutes)
#7850 Mental Disorders - Personality Disorders (Run time 26 min.) DVD $149.95
Personality disorders come in various varieties and degrees of severity, including persistent, ingrained behavior patterns; extreme deviant behavior; and problems in social functioning. Histrionic disorder, anankastic disorder, anxiety disorder, and dependent disorder are the common categories. This program, filmed in the U.K., looks at the most common disorders-paranoid, histrionic, and dissocial. It describes their symptoms and criteria for diagnosis. Patients exhibit the symptoms in interviews conducted by psychiatrists. (26 minutes)
#7851 Mental Disorders - Schizophrenia and Delusional Disorders (Run time 46 min.) DVD $149.95
Schizophrenia, acute and transient psychoses, persistent delusional disorders, and schizoaffective disorders are examined in this program, which was filmed in the U.K. Their principal abnormalities are divided into the following psychiatric phenomena: disordered thinking, delusions, hallucinations, and abnormal behavior. Specific symptoms of each disorder are discussed. Particular symptoms to look for in patient interviews are provided, along with criteria for diagnosing each disorder. (46 minutes)
#11510 Mental Disorders - Treating Phobias 1 (Run time 48 min.) DVD $149.95
For 10-year-old Danny, it's dogs. For Trevor, it's falling. For Diane, it's air travel. And for Donna, it's the everyday act of driving a car. In this program, these four patients come to grips with their phobias by undergoing treatments involving behavioral therapy, flooding, and EMDR, eye-movement desensitization reprocessing-with impressive results. Original BBCW broadcast title: Programme 1. (48 minutes)
#11511 Mental Disorders - Treating Phobias 2 (Run time 48 min.) DVD $149.95
This program presents four case studies involving the fear of public places, public speaking, birds and feathers, and mice. Applications of behavioral therapy, virtual reality, hypnosis, and TFT, thought field therapy, are documented. Research at the Institute of Psychiatry (London) into brain activity during moments of stress, panic, and terror is also included. Original BBCW broadcast title: Programme 2. (48 minutes)
#29358 Mental Disorders - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: When the Memories Won't Go Away (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
After a traumatic shock, most people experience immediate symptoms of stress-and for some, the feelings do not fade away. In this program, psychiatrist Cecile Rousseau, psychologist Deogratias Bagilishya, and other specialists in the field of emotional trauma discuss the causes, symptoms, and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. The effects of adrenaline and cortisol on the body and the mechanics of narrative and emotional memory are also examined. Stories of trauma caused by child abuse, spouse abuse, war atrocities, and terminal illness are related by patients recovering from PTSD. (53 minutes)
#29359 Mental Disorders - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Tyranny of Rituals (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
"There are 34,000 different obsessive-compulsive disorders. Mine is just one among many others." In this program, research psychiatrist Gilbert Pinard and pediatric psychiatrist Patricia Garel talk with OCD patients about their rituals-the thoughts and behaviors triggered by hyperactive brain activity involving the thalamus, orbito-frontal cortex, and caudate nucleus. The effectiveness of behavioral and drug therapies in controlling obsessive-compulsive disorder is discussed as well. (53 minutes)
#29957 Mental Disorders - Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia: When Fear Takes Control (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
"At some point, you contemplate suicide. You think, 'This is useless. I'm suffering too much. What's in store for me?'" In this program, patients share their stories of terror and triumph as they struggle to deal with their irrational fears and avoidance behaviors. In addition, mental health professionals contrast behavioral cognitive psychotherapy, augmented by video conferencing and virtual reality, with psychopharmacological intervention, which usually involves anxiolytics, antidepressants, and beta-blockers. Computer graphics mapping out the physiological mechanics of a panic attack are also included. (53 minutes)
#30304 Mental Disorders - Imagining Robert: My Brother, Madness, and Survival (Run time 56 min.) DVD $149.95
For 17 million Americans, severe, long-term mental illness is a fact of life-a fact little understood by the majority of their fellow citizens. In an effort to raise public awareness of the day-to-day impact mental illness has on families, this intimate documentary profiles Robert Neugeboren and his brother, Jay, as decade after decade they cope with Robert's schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Drawing on Jay's heart-rending yet uplifting family memoir of the same title, the program deftly reveals the engaging personality of Robert while expressing Jay's considerable frustration in dealing with the mental health establishment. As instructive as it is insightful, Imagining Robert is ideal for opening a sympathetic dialogue on the treatment and impact of mental disorders. A Study Guide and other resources are located online at www.imaginingrobert.org. (56 minutes)
#30451 Mental Disorders - A Madman's Journal (Run time 45 min.) DVD $149.95
For two years, the narrator of this program went through a nightmare, feeling a self-hatred and worthlessness beyond love and redemption that he described as "the concentration camp of the mind." This video presents one man's attempt to convey the ordeal of severe depression by writing a memoir about the experience. Dramatic reenactments, along with interviews of the narrator's psychiatrist, fellow patients, and their spouses and friends, effectively show from all angles how this devastating illness takes its toll-and how it can be brought under control. (45 minutes)
#32646 Mental Disorders - Who's Normal Anyway? (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
Trichotillomania might be an unusual word, but it is a common obsession: hair pulling. By looking at several ongoing case studies, this program offers fascinating glimpses into obsessive-compulsive disorder, showing firsthand the debilitating physical and emotional effects, as well as outlining a number of treatment options. Brain scans of OCD patients illustrate differences in neural activity. Among the cases presented are Bob and Shirley, who hoard, Liz, who pulls her hair, and Stephanie, whose extreme fear of contamination is linked with her mothering duties. The program also features Dr. Randy Frost of Smith College, a leading expert on hoarding, and Professor Mario Capecchi of the University of Utah, who has altered a single gene in mice to produce trichotillomania. A BBCW Production. (50 minutes)
#32647 Mental Disorders - Seeking Perfection (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
Gary's love of soccer might wreck his wedding plans. Rosemary embezzled four million dollars in order to shop and hoard. An attractive young woman, Jennifer sees herself as disfigured due to body dysmorphia. These and other cases are used to illustrate how obsessive-compulsive disorder can be the flip side to strong, healthy self-interests. Along with studies of actual patients, the program features experts such as Dr. John Grant of the University of Minnesota, who has found similarities in brain circuitry and chemistry among those with OCD. A BBCW Production. (50 minutes)
#33448 Mental Disorders - Troubled Minds: The Lithium Revolution (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
In the 1940s, an Australian doctor discovered an astonishing treatment for what was then known as manic depression. At a time when electric shock, lobotomy, and Freudian psychotherapy were the only approaches to treating the disorder, lithium changed the way the medical establishment thought about mental illness and neuroscience and initiated the era of psychopharmacology. This program tells the story of the lithium revolution, from John Cade's research and historical breakthrough to its acceptance-despite decades of resistance by pharmaceutical companies and a ban due to deaths from the drug's toxic effects-as the standard treatment for what is now called bipolar disorder. (52 minutes)
#33450 Mental Disorders - My Name is Walter James Cross: The Reality of Schizophrenia (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
Walter James Cross tried to kill himself and failed, so he decided to tell his story instead. Finding an abandoned theater, he stands on the stage alone and recounts his descent into mental illness, into schizophrenia. Created by a psychiatrist who has worked for many years with schizophrenic patients, this compelling dramatic monologue presents an accurate depiction of a devastating, costly, much maligned, and misunderstood illness. This program has been screened at film festivals and professional conferences, including the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, and was well received by doctors and nurses as well as patients and their families. (53 minutes)
#34280 Mental Disorders - Beating Depression (Run time 46 min.) DVD $149.95
This program comes to grips with depression through the experiences of five patients whose backgrounds span the socioeconomic spectrum. Three cases of chronic depression, one of which is complicated by borderline personality disorder and another by alcohol abuse, and two cases of bipolar disorder, one of which is extreme, are presented. The overarching message? Patients with depression can stabilize and lead fulfilling lives if they accept their condition and proactively address it. Antidepressants, psychiatric therapy, acupuncture, and other modalities are touched upon as components of a tailored treatment plan. (46 minutes)
#37633 Mental Disorders - Hypochondriacs: Inside Health Anxiety Disorder (Run time 49 min.) DVD $149.95
Every time Laura gets swollen glands, she spends hours on the Internet researching terminal cancer. Kevin lives in fear of contracting HIV-a drop of blood can send him into a state of panic. And the smallest ache convinces Sarah that she could die at any moment. Studies suggest that as many as one in four general-practitioner consultations are for hypochondriacs-or those who suffer from what is now called Health Anxiety Disorder. This compelling film follows these patients as they undergo an intensive period of cognitive behavioral therapy at a country retreat affiliated with London's Maudsley Hospital. Will it make them better, or are they destined to spend the rest of their lives in and out of unnecessary medical appointments and procedures? (49 minutes)
#39085 Mental Disorders - Inside Wabash (Run time 46 min.) DVD $149.95
Situated in America's heartland among acres of Indiana cornfields, Wabash Valley Correctional Facility houses not just the state's most violent offenders but also a large population of the mentally ill. This MSNBC documentary looks at the challenges of confining thousands of hardened criminals in addition to those with deep-seated psychiatric needs. Wabash psychiatrist Dr. Mary Ruth Sims describes her work with a group of self-mutilating prisoners, while superintendent Craig Hanks and his staff outline their day-to-day challenges and the operation of the prison's SHU or secure housing unit. Viewer discretion advised: additional interviews feature severely deranged inmates who give accounts of their horrific crimes. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (46 minutes)
#3894 Mental Health Care - The Scandal of Psychiatric Hospitals: When the Goal Is Insurance Reimbursement (Run time 52 min.) DVD $149.95
At the same time that mentally ill patients are being discharged into the streets because their insurance benefits have expired, perfectly healthy Americans are being locked up in mental hospitals while the hospital draws their insurance. This shocking program reveals some of these abuses. It shows how one group of hospitals herded up patients and, in a cynical and sadistic way, held healthy Americans hostage; it also shows how bona fide psychiatrists are tempted or duped, and how outnumbered and outgunned law enforcement agencies are in trying to restore psychiatry to its role as a healing profession, not a business. (52 minutes)
#3997 Mental Health Care - Committed in Error: The Mental Health System Gone Mad (Run time 52 min.) DVD $149.95
This is the story of a man who spent 66 years incarcerated and forgotten in mental health institutions, although there was never anything wrong with him. This particular story takes place in Britain, but it could as easily have happened in the U.S.: people put away because they were hard-of-hearing, or their family didn't want them-people whose lives were destroyed because the system went tragically wrong. (52 minutes)
#5069 Mental Health Care - Mistreating the Mentally Ill (Run time 56 min.) DVD $149.95
There are 250 million seriously mentally ill people the world over and no society-rich or poor-has devised a humane system of care. This program focuses on the U.S., Japan, India, and Egypt, examining how each culture sees mental illness and treats the less accepted members of society. In general, Japan locks its patients up for long periods in predominantly for-profit institutions where they are often subject to brutal treatment; the U.S., with the best of intentions, casts many of its mentally ill out on the streets, or into vast shelters with little hope of receiving care; India treats less than 10% of those who need care, with occasional oases of good community care contrasting with examples of inhumane conditions in psychiatric hospitals; while in Egypt, rural traditions which tolerate the mentally ill are being submerged in industrialization, and one of Cairo's largest private mental hospitals is run as a business by the president of the World Federation of Mental Health. The program concludes that the problem is not merely shortage of funds, but the indifference of society to the mentally ill. (56 minutes)
#11870 Mental Health Care - Bellevue: Inside Out (Run time 77 min.) DVD $149.95
New York City's Bellevue Hospital has a renowned psychiatric emergency center that treats 7,000 men and women annually. This gritty program takes a daunting look at the daily operation of the center by focusing on a handful of people as they struggle with their illnesses. The entire experience is presented, from arrests of the criminally insane and admissions of new patients to long-term treatment and therapy groups. In addition to working with mental disorders, doctors and nurses also confront drug and alcohol addiction in an environment where 50 percent of their patients have substance abuse problems. An HBO Production. (77 minutes)
#5307 Stress Programs - Running Out of Time: Time Pressure, Overtime, and Overwork (Run time 57 min.) DVD $149.95
Far from ushering in the promised age of leisure, automation and increased productivity have resulted in less free time, longer work hours, greater stress, and a new word in Japanese-karoshi, meaning death from overwork. This fast-paced (of course) documentary explores the social impact of time pressure and overwork on American society, how much activity people fit into their busy lives, how much responsibility they increasingly assume, and how little leisure time actually remains. The program contrasts expectations about saving time with the reality that there are more time-savers but less time to use them; compares conditions in other countries and at other times (medieval serfs worked fewer hours than middle-class Americans!); and examines some solutions to overwork. National Public Radio's Scott Simon is the host; interview subjects include AFL-CIO economist John Zalusky, Women's Bureau at the Department of Labor head Karen Nussbaum, a postal worker, and a single mother with two children and no time to rest at all. (57 minutes)
#32293 Stress Programs - 9/11 and Beyond: Coping Strategies for Trauma and Stress (Run time 43 min.) DVD $149.95
The events of September 11, 2001, have dramatically shifted the worldview of most Americans. This program by award-winning filmmaker Robert Parish promotes hope and healing in the aftermath of traumatic events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Featured speakers include family advocate Jacki McKinney; Dr. Laurie Anne Pearlman, co-director of the Traumatic Stress Institute, in Connecticut; Dr. Frank Putnam, director of the Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children, in Ohio; The Reverend Dr. Frederick Streets, a chaplain at Yale University; and Dr. Ervin Staub, professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of The Roots of Evil. (43 minutes)
#2351 Suicide - Suicide: The Teenager's Perspective (Run time 26 min.) DVD $149.95
This program from The Doctor Is In deals with peer groups, one promising solution to the increasing number of teen suicides. Teenagers are accustomed to going to their friends with their problems; in this case, the friends have been trained to recognize the signs of impending suicide. In the program, Jim Wells, a nationally recognized expert on suicide, says that even as teens are taking their own lives, they do not really want to die. The purpose of this program is to provide some help before an attempt is made. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center production. (26 minutes)
#2352 Suicide - Suicide: The Parents' Perspective (Run time 26 min.) DVD $149.95
When grief is compounded by guilt, all of the problems of bereavement are multiplied. This program from The Doctor Is In seeks to help parents listen to their teenagers with greater awareness-not to place blame on parents for not hearing, but to help them identify the symptoms of serious trouble...and to recognize that all parents can do is their best, which is sometimes not enough to prevent suicide. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center production. (26 minutes)
#3103 Suicide - Suicide and the Police Officer (Run time 39 min.) DVD $149.95
Suicide among police officers is a dramatic example of what can happen when those entrusted with the protection of others fail to protect and care for themselves. This program, produced by the New York City Police Foundation, focuses on the underlying problems-alcohol or drug abuse, severe relationship problems, difficulty in dealing with violence-that can, if unchecked and unresolved, lead to suicide. Police officers, trained to appear invulnerable and in control, are less likely to admit they need help, and are therefore at greater risk of suicide. This very moving program provides a forum for understanding and perhaps ameliorating the pressures that lead to suicide for those in positions of control. (39 minutes)
#11650 Suicide - Suicide (Run time 59 min.) DVD $149.95
Every year, more than 30,000 American men, women, and children take their own lives-an average of one every 17 minutes. Drawing on the experiences of law enforcement officers, emergency medical personnel, psychologists, neurologists, hotline counselors, family members of suicides, and survivors of suicide attempts, this emotionally charged program offers approaches to understanding and preventing suicide while exploring the anguish that accompanies it. Groundbreaking brain research, graphic death scene photos, and actual 911 recordings add powerful support to the case studies and treatment options documented. Viewer discretion is advised. An HBO Production. (59 minutes)
#3379 Eating Disorders - An Anorexic's Tale: The Brief Life of Catherine (Run time 80 min.) DVD $159.95
This docudrama tells the story of Catherine Dunbar's seven-year battle for life in the fight against anorexia. Based on the story told by her mother and on her own diaries, it traces Catherine's downward spiral from the age of 15, when a lively and attractive teen became obsessed by her weight, went on binges, became addicted to laxatives, and, despite desperate efforts from many sides, died weighing an incredible 40 pounds. This is strong subject matter; we recommend that you preview this program before showing it to younger audiences. (80 minutes)
#37647 Mental Disorders - People Say I'm Crazy (Run time 85 min.) DVD $159.95
In what may be the first documentary photographed and directed by someone with schizophrenia, John Cadigan details his descent into mental illness and the extreme challenges he has experienced as a result. Describing the psychotic breakdown that occurred during his senior year of college, Cadigan relates his subsequent journey: how he dropped out, cycled through a number of drugs and doctors, and finally decided to film his agonizing battle with mental illness. Cadigan invites viewers to tour the world inside his mind-a chaotic, paranoid, and creative universe in which he struggles to know what is real and what is not. As viewers watch his fight to build a fulfilling and meaningful life-and learn how schizophrenia has bound the filmmaker and his family closer together-the pain and ultimate triumph of his struggle become clear. (85 minutes)
#9252 Anger & Conflict Management - The Fury Within: Coping with Anger (Run time min.) DVD $179.9
In an era of road rage fatalities and schoolyard shoot-outs, learning to safely defuse anger could be a life-saving skill. Part one of this riveting two-part ABC News series analyzes new treatments for adults who over- and under-vent their frustrations, while part two focuses on the severe anger of children with emotional, behavioral, or neurochemical disorders, including Tourette's syndrome and depression. 2-part series.
#33096 Eating Disorders - Growing Together (Run time 32 min.) DVD $199.95
In a frenetic culture where skewed body image messages mislead the young and nutrition repeatedly loses out to convenience, children's physical and psychological well-being are increasingly at risk. In response to this alarming situation, psychologist Jodi R. Galin and registered dietitian Andrea McDonough have created Growing Together, a three-part kit designed to help educators, parents, caregivers, health professionals, and community leaders protect children from developing obesity and eating disorders. It consists of Watch Me Grow! Stop to Listen!, a 32-minute documentary-style video filled with authoritative information-including how to recognize "red flags" that may signal a need for professional attention-as well as tips, tactics, and ideas; a supplemental guidebook that elaborates on ideas presented in the video; and Healthy Kids! Healthy Bodies!, a printable four-lesson curriculum guide for children ages 9 through 12 and student surveys, on CD-ROM. Help children grow into their own healthy size with Growing Together! Correlates to the National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education from the Family and Consumer Sciences Education Association and the National Health Education Standards from the Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards. 3-part set.
#29105 Mental Disorders - Depression: A Living Hell (Run time min.) DVD $259.9
It makes no headlines. It does not suddenly break out in epidemics. Yet depression costs the U.S. economy $40 billion per year and is predicted to be the most pervasive disease of the 21st century. In this penetrating two-part series, noted scientist Lewis Wolpert, author of Malignant Sadness and a former patient himself, sympathetically investigates clinical depression. A BBC Production. 2-part series, 50 minutes each.
#12119 Family Issues - Love on the Rocks: The Challenges and Complexities of Marriage (Run time min.) DVD $269.85
This three-part series studies the complexities of marriage, the ramifications of changing societal expectations, and the efforts of some to strengthen the weakening ties that bind individuals legally, socially, and culturally. Guests include psychologist Judith Wallerstein, author of The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce; Diane Sollee, founder of the Coalition for Marriage, Family, and Couples Education; Michael Rosebush, executive director of Focus on the Family's Institute for Family Studies; and many others. 3-part series, 30 minutes each.
#5826 Mental Disorders - No More Shame: Understanding Schizophrenia, Depression, and Addiction (Run time min.) DVD $269.85
These programs examine research about the physiological, psychological, sociological, and cultural aspects of these disorders and their treatments. Each program highlights real people with these illnesses and their treatments and features leading experts in each field. The goal of these programs is to explain what we do and do not know about each of these conditions, as well as to destigmatize the disorders by presenting them in the context of the same research process that is applied to all medical disorders.3-part series, 21-24 minutes each.
#11509 Mental Disorders - Phobia: When an Irrational Fear Takes Control (Run time 96 min.) DVD $299.9
For a person with a phobia, overcoming the fear-or at least learning how to resist its debilitating effects-can open the door to a fuller, freer life. This two-part series takes an unflinching look at the biological and psychological mechanics of terror, as determined patients seek to master their irrational fears through behavioral therapy, virtual reality, hypnosis, EMDR, and the controversial techniques of flooding and TFT. MRI scans, EEG tracing, and thermographic imaging enhance these compelling documentaries. Original BBCW broadcast title: Phobia. 2-part series, 48 minutes each.
#32645 Mental Disorders - Obsessions: Understanding OCD (Run time min.) DVD $299.9
Are compulsive hair-pulling, hand-washing, and even gambling learned behaviors or inherited diseases? Where do obsessions come from and how can they be managed so they do not dominate a person's life? Using a number of actual case studies, this two-part series attempts to understand the roots of obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, and looks at both standard and experimental treatment options. Original BBCW broadcast title: Obsessions. 2-part series, 50 minutes each.
#36471 Mental Disorders - The Biological Mind (Run time min.) DVD $389.85
What do chronic stress, depression, and anxiety have in common? The prevalence of all three is on the rise...but each, once diagnosed, is treatable with very high recovery rates. This three-part series combines case histories with expert commentary and 3-D animations to explore the mind/body connection as it relates to these illnesses. The Biological Mind provides an accessible corridor into the complexities of psychological disorders. 3-part series, 46-48 minutes each.
#29979 Family Issues - Life Stories (Run time min.) DVD $449.85
Mother to daughter, father to son, generation to generation-these critically acclaimed documentaries tell an epic story in intimate detail, presenting a powerful account of contemporary life through timeless, fundamental relationships. Filled with moving moments of honesty from the broadest range of people, this three-part series explores the bonds that define us all. 3-part series, 45 minutes each.
#29356 Mental Disorders - Making Peace with the Mind (Run time min.) DVD $449.85
Gambling that changes from a penny-ante pastime to a full-blown addiction. Nightmares that refuse to go away. A series of inconsequential rituals that fills up every waking hour. In this three-part series, anecdotal case studies and scientific research are blended into a candid analysis of three chronic mental disorders: pathological gambling, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. 3-part series, 52 minutes each.
#6787 Mental Disorders - Anxiety-Related Disorders: The Worried Well (Run time min.) DVD $539.7
Each of the six programs in this series addresses a different condition. During powerful and moving interviews, two patients with each condition share their distressing stories of how the disorders have wreaked havoc on their lives, and how they've learned to cope. Several people have achieved a semblance of normality in their lives in spite of their dysfunctions. Leading experts in each field provide brief explanations of the condition. 6-part series, 15 minutes each.
#8492 Healing & Grief - Grief: The Courageous Journey (Run time min.) DVD $809.55
This nine-part series offers insight into grief as the catalyst for a healing process. Hosted by grief counselor Gordon Lang, the programs follow his patients as they recognize, accept, and heal from their personal experiences of loss. The series is a moving portrait that illustrates not only the pain, confusion, disbelief, anger, guilt, and powerlessness that loss brings, but the restorative power of grief. 9-part series, 25 minutes each.
#8280 Mental Disorders - Differential Diagnosis in Psychiatry (Run time min.) DVD $1049.65
Psychiatry is a subtle science in which differential diagnosis can be particularly challenging. This encyclopedic seven-part series, filmed in the U.K., offers a practical overview of the broad spectrum of mental disorders. Programs one through six combine real doctor/patient interviews with descriptions of the etiology and manifestation of each illness under examination-including the tricky similarities and key differences that are crucial for accurate diagnosis. Program seven, composed exclusively of doctor/patient interviews, provides students and clinicians alike the chance to apply their knowledge of the DSM-IV and form their own differential diagnoses. This series is a powerful gateway to a deeper understanding of the nuances of psychiatric medicine. 7-part series, 26-46 minutes each.
