On Friday, April 21, 2006, the first film featured in the SAMHAJ (South Asian Mental Health Awareness in Jersey) Film Discussion Series was "15 Park Avenue", directed by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi. The SAMHAJ Film Discussion series will show films relating to mental illness several times during the year in Central New Jersey, and feature an expert speaker to discuss issues raised by the film.

In the case of "15 Park Avenue", the issue was schizophrenia, a mental illness that affects only about 1% of the population worldwide, and profoundly affects thought processes and behavior. The film featured a realistic portrayal of an Indian family affected by schizophrenia, with an outstanding performance by Konkona Sen Sharma as Meethi, a young woman who develops schizophrenia in early adulthood. The illness manifests with visual and auditory hallucinations that she often retreats into, and the film very movingly portrays the contrast between her increasingly bleak real life and the comfort of her hallucinations. Shabana Azmi also delivers a touching performance as Annu, a woman of great strength and compassion who is forced to choose between pursuing her own happiness and her intense love and loyalty for her ill sister.

About 30 Central Jersey residents, many of them of Indian origin, viewed the film, and then participated in a thought provoking discussion with North Brunswick based psychiatrist Ajanta Vinekar. Some attendees were themselves caregivers of a family member with schizophrenia, and were moved to tears at the realistic portrayal of the painful impact of the illness on families. Others were professionals and students from the community interested in learning more about a topic that is often never discussed openly due to the intense stigma associated with mental illness.

Dr. Vinekar delivered a presentation on the medical and human impact of schizophrenia on both the person with the illness and the family members who become caregivers, and stressed that schizophrenia is not caused by environmental factors but by a genetic predisposition to the illness. Current treatments and medications available can effectively control the symptoms, especially the disturbingly real hallucinations associated with the illness, and allow the patient to lead a relatively normal life.

To learn more about the SAMHAJ Film Discussion Series, or to attend the next discussion, contact Aruna Rao, Director of Educational Programs at NAMI NJ (National Alliance on Mental Illness in NJ) at 732 940 0991 or e-mail samhaj_naminj@yahoo.com.