Out of the Shadow Airs on Monday, May 29, at 10:00 p.m. Filmed over five years, out of the shadow chronicles the filmmaker's mother, Millie, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. With grace and compassion, this intimate film illustrates the painful complexities of severe mental illness and the woefully inadequate public health system set up to deal with it. Over the past 20 years, Millie has been in and out of at least 17 psych wards, 8 apartments, 3 boarding houses and countless motels. As a ward of the state, she frequently lost all contact with her friends and family for months at a time. Determined to get better care for their mother, Susan and her sister Tina became Millie's legal guardians. As they work together to improve her future, the sisters must come to terms with their family's tumultuous past. For years, the family's ignorance and shame kept Millie's behavior shrouded in a veil of secrecy. Now, after 20 years of transience and inadequate care, Millie finally has a chance to reclaim her life. A story of madness and dignity, shame and love, out of the shadow illuminates a national plight through one family's struggle and helps dispel the stigmas and misconceptions surrounding this harrowing illness.   WGTE Educational Outreach Event On May 23, WGTE Public Broadcasting held a mental health awareness and education event which included a presentation by the filmmaker, Susan Smiley, as well as facilitated discussion groups on various topics. WGTE has compiled this information into discussion notes and into a resource directory for your information: Discussion Notes - click below to download the discussion notes from each breakout session Stigma Peer Support Adult Offspring of Parents with Mental Illness Parenting with a Mental Illness