The Series

I am sick of seeing Television shows like Seinfeld and ER that stigmatize persons with mental illness. I have seen so many prime time drama series about doctors, police officers and lawyers. I think there needs to be a prime time series about Community Mental Health, set in a CMHC. So I tossed some ideas down as I doodled on a note pad at work one day. The story of a desk receptionist dealing with clients at the window, case-managers, clinical liaisons, blue dots, rehab specialists, psych doctors, and psych nurses, that gives a human face to both persons with psychiatric conditions and those who are mental health professionals. The script writers, such as myself, would have to be writers who know the real mental health system, family members, consumers, and mental health professionals that can portray a non-stigmatized view of mental health. Of course there would the ethical crusaders in the mental health system tangled in disputes with unethical staff that undermine the very concept of integrity. (as we have seen this on every other prime time drama series). There can be moments of light hearted comedy (like other shows). But in this series the person with schizophrenia does not murder the two doctors during a hospital holiday celebration like we seen on one season of ER.