Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness Documentary

The US has the world’s highest rate of mental illness and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the crisis, with young people bearing the brunt.

That’s why we’re delighted that the ‘Hiding In Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness’ documentary, which Movember has helped to fund, was screened at the White House on Wednesday – because it puts youth mental health on the agenda as an issue that urgently needs to be addressed.

Hosted by First Lady Jill Biden, the four-hour film investigates the growing youth mental health crisis in America. It features interviews with young people, between the ages of 11 and 27, parents, teachers, friends, healthcare providers and mental health experts. And it reveals the daily challenges of living with a mental health condition – from seemingly insurmountable obstacles to stories of hope and resilience.

Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns, who was executive producer of the documentary, attended the screening along with several of the young people who appear in the film.

Half of all mental illness begins by the age of 14 and 75 per cent by the age of 24. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people aged 10­–24 and 78 per cent of those who die by suicide are male. 

Although suicide is complex, at Movember we believe that men who have a clear understanding of how to look after their mental wellbeing and maintain strong social connections reduce their own risk of suicide.

We wanted to take part in this project because we want to shift the conversation around mental health and work towards a world where men of all ages are comfortable talking and asking for help when they need it.

Our work with young people – including Making Connections Chicago, an after-school mentoring program and a high school-based suicide prevention program called Making Connections Oklahoma aimed at American Indian men and boys, focuses on intervening early to prevent more men from reaching crisis point.

Ken Burns describes today’s teens as being ‘beset’ by mental health issues and says he believes the Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness documentary, will save lives. We hope that this powerful film will start vital conversations, change attitudes and begin to break down the stigma that has surrounded mental illness for far too long.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness will air on PBS stations nationwide over two nights next week [June 27 and 28 at 9 pm ET] – I urge you to watch it.

To find out more about mental health projects that Movember funds and help us continue to support more young men to live longer, healthier, happier lives, visit movember.com or donate at movember.com

Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness will be available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms including PBS.org and the PBS Video app.