Prindle to present ‘Angst’ film at Parker Auditorium April 17

Thursday, April 11, 2019

With the goal of shedding light on the topic of childhood and adolescent anxiety and depression, the Prindle Institute for Ethics will present a free screening of the documentary “Angst.”

The 56-minute film, along with a panel discussion, is set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17 at Greencastle High School Parker Auditorium.

The hope is to spark a conversation on the topic of anxiety and depression in our youth through personal testimonies of adolescents, parents, teachers, coaches and mental health professionals.

The evening event is free and open to all Putnam County community members. The film is advised for children 11 and older and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tzouanakis Intermediate School counselor Jamey Landry explained the importance of showing this film to the Greencastle community.

“Anxiety disorders affect one in eight children and teens,” she said. “Research shows that untreated youth with anxiety disorders are at higher risk to perform poorly in school, miss out on important social experiences and engage in substance abuse.”

The Prindle Institute will be sponsoring the community event. Prindle Director Andy Cullison explained that the institute’s mission is “to foster ethics education, dialogue and research.”

He described Prindle’s role in bringing “Angst” to the Putnam County community as raising awareness “of the realities of anxiety and how it can impact people.” The film discusses this topic, and therefore plays “an important part of fostering a piece of the Prindle Institute’s mission.”

Cullison specifically pointed out that “issues related to mental health and anxiety crop up everywhere.” Speaking to the collaborative nature of the event, he said mental health issues “aren’t really the purview of any one entity, so it seems like having the entire community come together to think about and talk about this issue is a particularly important thing to do.”

Landry hopes community members will take advantage of this opportunity to learn about how to help the youth of Putnam County deal with daily stressors.

“My hope is that parents and teachers will develop a better understanding of what it’s like to be a teenager coping with an anxiety disorder,” Landry said.

The panel after the film aims to provide the community with information and advice on mental health disorders. Panelists include Greencastle Middle School counselor Helen Dunn, Indiana Youth Institute senior outreach manager Kevin Enders, Cummins Behavioral Health Systems licensed therapist Alison Dobbs and Putnam County Youth Development Commission CASA Director Patti Harmless.

For more information about the film, visit www.angstmovie.com or Prindle’s website www.prindleinstitute.org.

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