Educational Media Reviews Online

Mental illness cannot easily be predicted. It greatly affects not only the livelihoods of people who have it, but their families and friends as well. Good Days, Bad Days is a short documentary that profiles three individuals: a mother whose daughter is mentally ill, husband whose wife has mental illness, and a couple who both suffer from mental illness. They talk about their feelings, struggles, and worries of what could potentially happen to their loved ones with this debilitating illness. Afflicted people often suffer through various stages of illness at different rates. The film addresses families and friends becoming part of a support network, not being afraid of social stigma, becoming an advocate, being educated and educating others, and most importantly of being able to be there for the affected people, so that while their illness is under control, they can enjoy the present.

While this program is quite helpful in showing perspectives not often seen, Good Days, Bad Days will be most helpful for those who are already aware of mental illness. In addition, each individual perspective is a subjective experience, which may not be the same for everyone.

In terms of technical aspects, the video does not have dividing panels or pauses, so it is often difficult to identify which topic or perspective is being discussed.

Since this is not introductory material, it will be a better purchase for library collections with an existing collection in mental illness looking for films, as the title suggests, on the impact to family, friends, and caregivers.