Animated Minds

Animated Minds is a series of short animated documentaries which use real testimony from people who have experienced different forms of mental distress. A single aim underpins all the films: to help dispel myths and misconceptions about ‘mental illness’ by giving a voice to those who experience these various difficulties first hand. Engaging animation is used in order to try and give some authenticity to the subjective experience of the various mental health problems. The first four films, made in 2003, focus on adults’ experiences of bipolar disorder, psychosis, panic attacks, and obsessive compulsive disorder. These films were a resounding success, both winning and being nominated for numerous awards including Best Animation at BANFF, a Grierson Award, and a Mental Health Media Award for Best Documentary. The four episodes also received a great deal of attention from schools, universities, hospitals, community mental health centres, as well as in the voluntary sector, as an educational and informative tool.

Following the wave of such success, in 2008 four more films were produced. The latter focus on young people and explore their experiences of obsessive compulsive disorder, deliberate self-harm, eating disorders, and the social distress experienced by those affected by Asperger’s syndrome. This autumn has been a particularly positive one for the second Animated Minds series. The films have won a BAFTA, a Mental Health Media Award, an RTS Award, a Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival Award and the Best Educational Film Award at Holland Animation Film Festival 09.