Learning to Swallow by Shelley Diamond, Ph

Suicide Attempt due to Bipolar Disorder: Documentary Film Review of "Learning to Swallow" by Shelley Diamond, Ph.D. Published in The San Francisco Psychologist, September 2007 issue, page 11.

On August 3rd, 2007, approximately 20 SFPA members and guests attended a screening and discussion of the documentary film Learning to Swallow. Ursula Young, Psy.D., Counseling Center Manager at California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS) and SFPA member, arranged for the event to be held in the beautiful Namaste Room at CIIS. The 90-minute film features Patsy, a photographer in her mid-30's, who lives with bipolar disorder. After going off her medications, she makes a failed suicide attempt, destroying her digestive organs in the process. The film follows Patsy for approximately 3 years as she struggles to create a new life for herself. Since she cannot ever swallow again, she must learn to live with a permanent feeding tube. Craving the taste of food, she chews it up and spits it out, risking the danger of accidentally ingesting particles that could travel into her lungs. After an unsuccessful surgery to repair her digestive system, Patsy becomes addicted to pain medications, and abuses alcohol as well, pouring it down her feeding tube. In her struggle to re-establish her independence, Patsy makes efforts to work through conflicts with her family members, with mixed results. Patsy develops relationships with staff in the nursing homes and hospitals where she undergoes surgery and physical rehabilitation, is rescued from drug overdose by a neighbor who becomes a new friend, and reconnects with old friends who offer emotional support and encouragement. The highlight of the film is Patsy's success in opening an art gallery in Chicago where she presents a show of her photography and other artists. Overall, the film is a cautionary tale that serves as a strong suicide prevention tool, and shows the need for psychoeducation on consistent use of medication for bipolar disorder. It illustrates the challenges of living with disabilities and the risks of drug addiction to pain medications after surgery. The film also demonstrates the value of art therapy and social networks. When we first meet Patsy, her future seems bleak. Over the course of the film, she becomes a living example of resilience over time. Learning to Swallow immerses viewers into Patsy's life, so that we learn about her experience as a whole person, with her complexities, contradictions, strengths, and vulnerabilites. We get a much broader perspective than we would obtain in therapy sessions. The film functions as a reminder that what we hear and see in sessions is only a small part of the big picture, and that our clients have unexpected possibilities for growth which may not be evident for years. The filmmaker, Danielle Beverly, lives in San Francisco, and is open to doing other local screenings for mental health professional audiences. She can be contacted through her website www.learningtoswallow.com. The film is also available on DVD at the website.