Hollywood doesn’t exactly have a stellar track record when it comes to portraying mental illness in a sensitive, honest, and appropriately complex way (think Psycho or the notorious caffeine pill episode of Saved by the Bell). But the top show on Netflix right now, Ginny & Georgia went to great lengths to show mental health conditions honestly. The series tells the story of Georgia, a mother with a traumatic background, Ginny, her daughter with a habit of self-harming, and it includes characters such as a neighbor boy and Ginny’s love interest, Marcus, with a persistent major depressive disorder. Show creator Sarah Lampert talks with us about how, with the help of a doctor of psychology and consulting from the advocacy group Mental Health America, she and her creative staff were able to tell honest stories that were moving without being exploitive or sensationalized.

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Help is available right away.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALK

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.

International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

Terence Reilly

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