Crazy

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 1 in 5 adults in the United States - 43.8 million, or 18.5% - experiences mental illness in a given year. The one-hour documentary CRAZY follows Eric, a diagnosed schizophrenic, faced with a critical choice - whether to comply with traditional mental health treatment or follow his own path to wellness. Eric's doctors want to medicate him for his own protection, but after eight years of anti-psychotic meds, Eric wants to refuse the drugs he believes are causing more harm than good. With extraordinary access, the film explores both sides of the story. Eric, his father and his attorney argue passionately for Eric's right to make his own medical decisions. Depositions of Eric's evaluating psychologist and social worker show how and why they feel forced treatment is necessary. CRAZY reveals an intimate portrait of the unpredictable and high-stakes trajectory of Eric's journey - refusing meds, seeking legal approval to use an advanced directive, being locked on a psych floor after being picked up by police, and deteriorating during a family therapy session. Through all of this, there's a glimmer of hope and a solution that eventually enables Eric to graduate from college and claim the recovery and a measure of the autonomy he so desperately craves. CRAZY brings the viewer into the story with extraordinary access to both Eric and his doctor's points of view. In the process, the documentary looks at involuntary treatment and explores the bigger issues and questions raised by this very personal experience.

Episode Duration: 57 minutes and 34 seconds


Watch Crazy - Clips, Episodes & Previews




NHPBS Over-the-Air Broadcast

WENH-TV Ch. 11 Durham

WLED-TV Ch. 48 Littleton

WEKW-TV Ch. 18 Keene

W50DP-D Ch. 50 Hanover

W34DQ-D Ch. 34 Pittsburg

Cable and Satellite Channels


NHPBS Five Channels

NHPBS - 11.1

NH Explore - 11.2

NH World - 11.3

NH Create - 11.4

NH Kids - 11.5

Learn More


NHPBS NHPBS Passport Passport

Grantchester | Episode 1
Dynamic Planet | Ice
America ReFramed | Como Vivimos (How We Live)
Professor T | Heir to the Throne
D.I. Ray | Rivals
Local, USA | Public Enemies, Private Friends
Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution | Rock the Boat
Pompeii: The New Dig | Episode 3
My Music with Rhiannon Giddens | Episode 6
Antiques Roadshow | I Was There
Great Performances | Purlie Victorious
Nature | Wild Ireland: Kingdom of Stone
After Action | Serving with Pride
Poetry in America | Steps
The Ghost Army | The Ghost Army
Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story | Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story
MaryLand | Episode 3
Guilt | Episode 2
American Experience | The Riot Report
Art Happens Here with John Lithgow | Art Happens Here with John Lithgow
AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange | Freedom Hill
American Masters | The Incomparable Mr. Buckley (ASL)
Changing Planet | Coral Special
Independent Lens | One With the Whale
Through Our Eyes | Uprooted
Next at the Kennedy Center | Joshua Redman where are we
Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator | Ides of March
The Real Story of Mr Bates vs The Post Office | The Real Story of Mr Bates vs The Post Office
Mr Bates vs The Post Office | Episode 1
Finding Your Roots | Viewers Like You