In follow up to yesterday's post about Michael Stewart, who was found not criminally responsible for the death of his mother whom he had killed during a psychotic episode, Canadian filmmaker John Kastner speaks out about forensic psychiatry patients, including what happens to those like Michael who commit a crime while suffering from a mental illness.
In the article, "Forensic Psychiatry Patients Are Ill Not Evil - And We Should Stop Hiding Them", Kastner shares his experiences within the field of forensic psychiatry and argues that the way the media portrays these individuals and the way in which they are kept hidden from society only perpetuates stigma and fear.
Kastner has made a number of documentaries, but in the last few years he has been focusing mostly on the Canadian justice system and mental illness. In 2013, his film "NCR: Not Criminally Responsible was released, which looked at the "personal impact of the mental disorder defence in Canada" and showcased the story of Sean Clifton, a man who repeatedly stabbed a woman in a shopping mall while in a delusional state. This May, another of Kastner's documentaries called "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", which follows "the cases of four patients at Brockville [Psychiatric Hospital] who committed violent acts" including Michael Stewart, will also be released.
More info about Kastner's two documentaries on forensic psychiatry can be found here:
In the article, "Forensic Psychiatry Patients Are Ill Not Evil - And We Should Stop Hiding Them", Kastner shares his experiences within the field of forensic psychiatry and argues that the way the media portrays these individuals and the way in which they are kept hidden from society only perpetuates stigma and fear.
Kastner has made a number of documentaries, but in the last few years he has been focusing mostly on the Canadian justice system and mental illness. In 2013, his film "NCR: Not Criminally Responsible was released, which looked at the "personal impact of the mental disorder defence in Canada" and showcased the story of Sean Clifton, a man who repeatedly stabbed a woman in a shopping mall while in a delusional state. This May, another of Kastner's documentaries called "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", which follows "the cases of four patients at Brockville [Psychiatric Hospital] who committed violent acts" including Michael Stewart, will also be released.
More info about Kastner's two documentaries on forensic psychiatry can be found here:
- https://www.nfb.ca/film/ncr_not_criminally_responsible/trailer/ncr_not_criminally_responsible_trailer
- http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2014/04/16/john_kastners_out_of_mind_out_of_sight_at_hot_docs.html
RSS Feed
