It’s not your brain, genes or weakness.

It’s a global socio-economic illness.

Mental disorders are the primary driver of disability worldwide, states the World Health Organization. Is mental illness political, cultural, social, economical? Through a 7 year period, on 5 continents, in 10 countries, affected people, artists and experts try to shed light on socio-economic causes. Enhanced with performative elements and associative montage, this journey confronts you with ourselves and the environments we are living in. Is there some pattern?

After going through personal experiences with anxiety and depression, mania and psychosis, co-authors looked in their environments and saw similar cases. Besides the mentioned, chemical and non-chemical substance self-medication (addiction), high numbers of suicides, burn out, self-harming, eating disorders, domestic violence and sexual abuse, poverty, loneliness, stress…They looked into global statistics and the one’s from their countries (Germany, Slovenia), stunned by the high numbers of affected. How is it possible that with such high numbers no epidemic is being called out? Why is it not widely spoken in the public? Why does everyone believe it is their individual fault, when such a majority in our communities is facing it? Research took them to “Lost Connections”, a research book from Johann Hari on causes of depression and anxiety, which inspired their film on a shoestring budget, self-produced and with minimalist gear (as guerilla approach). Looking for poetic realism, they go on an exploration journey through 5 continents, looking into how political becomes personal, affecting our psyche. With elements of activist and advocacy journalism, the film tries to share and spread the urgent knowledge for all the communities and generations, while calling for activated civil society, battling the stigma and self-guilt of anyone affected by the socio-economic-cultural ideology of individualism. Therefore the distribution agenda of co-authors is not only connected to cinemas but also communities of different areas of society. To disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed, is the starting intention of this project.