Mental Health Awareness week concluded Thursday night with the Mental Health Legal Forum, held in the Shapiro Campus Center. Several speakers, including State Senator Robert Antonioni, D-Leominster, addressed public policy issues. "(Antonioni) has been an outstanding advocate for the mentally ill in Massachusetts," said Brandeis Organization for Mental Health Awareness (BOMHA) Vice President Meghan Carter '05. "He shared with us a personal story that to some degree explains his reasons for working so diligently to protect the rights of the mentally-ill in Massachusetts."

Carter said she worked with BOMHA President Sara Philips '04 to organize last week's events. Over the summer, Carter conceived the idea for a week to reflect on and educate about mental health issues. At the beginning of last semester she founded BOMHA.

"My goal was to provide an array of events encompassing political aspect, resources ... that would spark student interest," Philips said. "People became aware of issues that I think are important."

The highlight of the week, Carter said, was Tuesday night when "Girl Interrupted" was screened, and author Susanna Kaysen,spoke. Kaysen discussed the book as well as her personal struggles (See related story, p. 27).

Wednesday evening, Medical Director of the Massachusetts Mental Health Center James Feldman discussed the stigmas attached to mental health issues. Feldman spoke in place of Acting Commissioner for the Department of Mental Health Ken Duckworth, who was called to a meeting with Governor Mitt Romney.

Feldman screened a film that illustrated the stereotypes about mental illness he says movies and television perpetuate.

The film, "The Stigmas of Mental Health" was narrated by Duckworth and included excerpts from media geared both toward children and adults. Students attending said they recalled scenes from children's television and movies, including Disney's "Aladdin," and now looked at them in a new light.

"We just assume anything other than the norm is crazy," one student said.

"The vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent," Feldman said, citing that the "insanity defense" is only used in 1 percent of criminal defenses and even then only succeeds one out of every four tries.

Speaking after the lecture, Feldman touted an initiative to make housing available for homeless people, many of whom, he said, abuse substances. "It's so powerful to get someone in a house," he said.

He lauded what he said is a "shift away from a paternal attitude in psychiatry where we would take care of all aspects of mentally ill toward realizing ... it's important for them to be in control of their lives."

Feldman pointed to a success rate of 85 percent in New York City. "We're going to have to see what kind of success we can get here," he said.