A one-hour public television documentary and outreach project designed to challenge stereotypes about mental illness and to educate communities and health care providers about the needs of families and individuals coping with these diseases.

Project Partners

North Carolina Depressive Manic Depressive Association

University of North Carolina
Department of Psychiatry

University of North Carolina Center for Public Television (UNC-TV)

North Carolina Psychoanalytic Foundation

Minnow Media, LLC

OUTSIDE THE LINES is being designed for many uses beyond broadcast -- in hospitals, clubhouses, communities of faith, civic groups, and other patient, family, and public education programs. Pending adequate funding, copies of the documentary will be available in both VHS and DVD formats

By design, the program will be segmented into discrete parts that may stand alone according to theme. By addressing different issues, these segments can be shown by community leaders, physicians, and other health care professionals in settings where time may be limited.

A discussion guide will be developed in conjunction with members of the project advisory committee and offered for review by several participants in the video and their families. This guide will be available on the program website and can be downloaded along with information on how to order a VHS or DVD version of the program. The website will also contain many useful links to other sites relevant to mental health.

With sufficient funds, we aim to make copies of the documentary widely available free
or for a nominal charge. For health care providers and families in rural areas where treatment options may be very limited, knowledge and information is especially critical. We believe that health care providers will benefit from these first-hand stories about what families feel and need as they try to make good decisions for loved ones who are mentally ill.

Project Advisory Committee

JONATHAN DAVIDSON, MD Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University

KARON DAWKINS, MD Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Residency Education, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

SUE GILBERTSON, M. DIV., MSW Regional Director of Catholic Social Ministries, Durham, North Carolina

ROBERT GOLDEN, MD Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

JAKI SHELTON GREEN, poet, playwright and Development Officer for Childcare Networks

CRYSTAL HINSON, Director of Development and Public Relations, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

ROY M. HINSON, President and CEO of Stanly Memorial Hospital in Albemarle, North Carolina

CHARLES HINTON, practicing attorney in Raleigh, North Carolina

ROBIN HUFFMAN, Executive Director of the Coalition for Persons Disabled by Mental Illness

JEFFREY A. LIEBERMAN, MD, Vice Chairman of Psychiatry and Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

RANGA KRISHNAN, M.B., CH.B. Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Duke University

JULIA SCATLIFF O'GRADY, leader in the nonprofit and social enterprise arena for over fifteen years

DR. DAVID PENN, Assistant Professor, Clinical Program, Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

REVEREND REBECCA REYES, MSW, Duke University Hospital

SHELIA SINGLETON, Executive Director, North Carolina Depressive and Manic Depressive Association

JOHN TOTE, Executive Director, Mental Health Association in North Carolina

RICK WEISLER, MD, practicing psychiatrist in Raleigh