Mental Health in Media

By Lex Enrico Santí, LCSW, MFA, DSW-S. Clinical Director, A Key Therapy LCSW, PLLC. Co-founder, The Quad. In the 1840s, whenever Ezra Cornell came home to Ithaca between telegraph ventures, the town's merchants and mechanics brought him their bills: groceries, notions, the family's shoes, some unpaid for years. He was stringing lines from New England to Wisconsin. He asked for more time, made a small payment, or offered a note. His biographer Philip Dorf explains that the for

Lex Enrico Santí, LCSW, MFA I love podcasts, I think they're great, really. Lately, I’ve found myself exhausted by a particular brand of podcast storytelling—one that centers white sadness, nostalgia, and pain, only to ultimately arrive at… nothing. These stories follow a well-worn formula: a young podcaster embarks on a deeply personal journey, tracing the roots of some tragic figure from their past. Maybe it’s their mother’s ex-lover, a punk rocker turned drug dealer who wa

SPOILER ALERT: there are details revealed in a TV episode 5 of the Last of Us, below which may muck up your desire to keep reading if you haven't seen the episode. TRIGGER WARNING: This post discusses topics linked to suicide. I've been following the Last of Us on HBOMax for the past number of weeks. It's a brilliant show and riveting. Most recently episode 5 came out. Titled: Endure and Survive, it tells the story of two brothers who are survivors of a fascist society. A pos

Recently, a documentary on Netflix about mental health has gained a refreshing amount of positive attention. I'd like to add to that positive vibe and give it some additional thoughts as a mental health professional. STUTZ is a movie about a psychotherapist who has worked with the actor Jonah Hill over the span of his illustrious career. You may remember Hill from the Wolf of Wall Street or going way back, Superbad. The documentary is raw, emotional and shows the active proce