Julie Wiles

Background and Motivation

At the end of 2017, while living and working in NYC, I started noticing subtle changes in my mood and physical well-being. Having been on an antidepressant for years, I was transitioning from one medication to another under the care of a new doctor. But instead of following through on that transition, he opted to keep me on both. I found myself becoming tolerant of the that mix, and next consulted with several psychiatrists who recommended My new doctor in New York kept me on both medications, which later led to me growing tolerant to all depression medications. After consulting several a cocktail of antidepressants and to the detriment of my mental health, I became resistant to them all. No doctor in New York discussed alternative treatments.

By March 2018, I became housebound and completely unable to work. My mom and stepdad moved me to Florida to seek a more robust treatment. There, a caring and thorough psychiatrist referred me to an ECT specialist in Tampa, Florida. I underwent 28 ECT treatments over a 5-month period. Within 2 months of treatment, I was able to start working again. ECT gave me my life back.This film began two years later, in 2021.

Inspiration and Purpose

Deciding not to return to NYC, I transitioned into teaching film at a local college in Lakeland, Florida, where an OU School of Film alumnus was running a film school. With the help of some willing students, I revisited the hospital where I was treated. I interviewed my psychiatrist, Dr. Jamie Fernandez, and her head nurse. Additionally, I interviewed myself and my mom to share our experiences, detailing how my depression became treatment-resistant and how ECT saved my life.

Sadly, this treatment has been and is still being grossly misrepresented in mainstream media. Too often, ECT is portrayed as a torture technique rather than an evidence-based therapy. Even in therapeutic settings, it is frequently shown with outdated techniques. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" severely damaged the public perception of ECT. Filmgoers with no personal or professional exposure to the treatment fail to distinguish between cinematic fiction and the current day clinical reality.

Project Goals

As a filmmaker who received ECT and is passionate about realistically representing mental health illnesses and treatments that have the potential to save lives, I felt compelled to make this film. Inaccurate portrayals of ECT influence public attitudes toward the treatment, unfortunately leaving proponents of ECT to rely on other tools to convince those with mental illness about its merits.

The film aims to:

Educate: Inform the public about the realities of treatment-resistant depression and the viable options available, including ECT.
Correct Misconceptions and Change Public Perception: Shift the narrative around ECT from fear and stigma to understanding and acceptance by emphasizing its effectiveness and safety when performed with modern techniques.
Inspire Hope: Share personal stories to illustrate that mental health treatments can be life-saving and that help is available.

Call to Action

Let's change the conversation about mental health treatments. By sharing accurate, compassionate, and hopeful stories, we can improve public understanding and acceptance of ECT and other mental health treatments. These are treatable illnesses, and effective treatment is available. Together, we can spread awareness and save lives.

I have been working on this film since 2021, and I have reached a point where I need assistance to complete the project. I would like to raise funds for:

Animation to explain the science behind the procedure
Additional footage of the procedure
A composer to write score
Color and sound mixing
Distribution

I would like to help change the conversation about mental health treatments as well as the perception and understanding of the ECT procedure. My hope is to share an accurate, compassionate and hopeful story to impact public understanding of mental health struggles and effective treatment options.

I greatly appreciate your donation to help bring this film to completion. You can also help by spreading the word about this project by following and sharing this campaign: https://gofund.me/07ed14e9