Educational Media Reviews Online

We have always had a sense of the obvious when we ponder the relationship between the mind and the body. But as science has evolved, our ability to understand the subtle complexity of that mind/body relationship has also evolved. This video is part of a series that addresses recent advances in understanding that relationship. Narrated by Garrick Utley, segments focus on depression, athletics, and chronic pain. In the first segment on depression, there is information on the increased rates of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and alcoholism relating to clinical depression.

Featured in this segment are a number of patients with clinical depression who talk about how mental health treatment has had profound effects on their physical health. Of particular note is the research related to depression and the effect that it has on red blood cell clotting. The second segment focuses on athletic skills and how the brain learns and retains those skills. Also noted is the overall effect of physical exercise on mental well being. The final segment deals with chronic pain. Individuals, each with a different disorder, talk about the impact of pain on their lives. Researchers discuss how the brain dictates in each individual how pain is felt. Current research dealing with genetic manipulation to minimize pain is presented.

Designed for an adult-level, television broadcast, all technical qualities are superior. Perhaps because it is designed to have broad broadcast appeal, each segment features a celebrity whose life relates to the topical content. Although this may increase audience appeal, it is not essential an essential to make the video succeed. Recommended.