Not Broken - Young people and mental health (full documentary)

Summary

Not Broken follows young people living with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, trauma, self-harm, and substance-use challenges. Through their stories, the documentary explores how bullying, abuse, family instability, racism, stigma, and social pressures can affect mental health. It also examines barriers to care, including cost, limited services, and difficulty finding a suitable provider.

The film stresses that mental illness is complex: genetics and life experiences can both play a role, and there is no single test or treatment that works for everyone. Medication can help, but the documentary cautions against expecting it to solve every problem on its own; therapy and other forms of support can also matter. It challenges stereotypes linking mental illness with violence, noting that people with serious mental illness are more often victims of violence than perpetrators.

Despite setbacks and gaps in the care system, the documentary’s central message is hopeful: mental illness does not define a person, and lives can improve with treatment, support, time, and opportunities to build a future.

Wellness and Support Strategies Discussed

• Reach out for help: Tell someone you trust and seek professional support when you’re struggling. Finding the right therapist or treatment may take time; a poor first experience does not mean help is impossible.
• Consider therapy, including CBT: Cognitive behavioral therapy can help people notice negative thought patterns and work with a therapist to explore different ways of responding. The film says therapy and medication together can work better for some young people than medication alone.
• Be honest about substance use: One participant describes choosing detox and being open with family and care providers as steps toward change. Finding activities that support a clean lifestyle is also mentioned.
• Build and use support networks: Friends, family, therapists, support groups, case workers, and other trusted people can help reduce isolation. When stress or anxiety rises, asking for help or reaching out is encouraged.
• Keep up with practical routines: Making appointments and taking responsibility for one’s care are presented as meaningful steps toward independence.
• Talk openly about distress and trauma: The documentary emphasizes that abuse, bullying, and witnessing violence can have lasting effects, and that early, trauma-informed support is important.
• Support young people through communication: Parents and caregivers are encouraged to pay attention to changes, trust their instincts, stay involved, and keep communication open rather than leaving young people to manage problems alone.
• Practice self-acceptance: Participants describe separating who they are from a diagnosis or past experiences, and recognizing that a condition does not define their whole identity.
• Take progress one day at a time: The film highlights patience, time, and small steps toward stability, connection, and meaningful goals.

Presenters and Sources

• Narrator: Unnamed in the subtitles.
• Young people and family members featured: Brynn, Andrea, Michael, Brenda, Angel, Rickey, Gabriel, and their relatives. Some participants are not named in the subtitles.
• Joronda Montano: Nonprofit program director discussing prevention and support.
• Beth: Named in a brief exchange; role is not specified in the subtitles.
• Unnamed professionals and experts: Including mental-health clinicians, trauma specialists, a researcher discussing stigma and violence, and a mental health court representative.
• Organizations and support sources mentioned: North Carolina’s Center for Child and Family Health; mental health courts; Arizona Public Media (AZPM).
• Funding acknowledgment: The David and Lura Lovell Foundation.