Created, Produced, Filmed, & Edited by Jane Shevlin
ABOUT THE FILM
Don't Pan(dem)ic aims to help decrease the stigma around mental health and improve mental health literacy.
In this episodic series, I tell the stories of six students who have faced anxiety and panic. With the help of Kevin Antshel, a Syracuse University psychology teacher and psychologist, this film explores how much the pandemic has played a role in high rates of anxiety. In exploring the different physical symptoms of anxiety and panic, this film utilizes visual storytelling to show the numerous ways anxiety has interfered with our daily lives. The pandemic has altered the way we think about socialization, and I believe in the importance of highlighting the voices of those that have a hard time speaking on it.
Thank you to Katie Nakano, Michelle Yankner, Surya Vaidy, Hannah Landon, Deanna Riveria, Helen Cohen, Professor Antshel, and Kira Odonnell for their participation in the piece and their willingness to share their stories.
Series Trailer
the episodes
This episodic series covers a volume of topics surrounding mental health, with the first episode exploring the foundational elements of anxiety and panic. It provides a general scope of the illness and what a life with anxiety is like, far before the 2020 pandemic. Through episode two, I begin to profile students who experienced a shift in their mental health due to the conditions of the pandemic and discuss how they have been changed, socially and emotionally, because of the isolation.
EPISODE TWO Kira Odonnell, 22, encountered complete isolation through the pandemic, which she says completely altered her identity and what she knew about social interaction. Through this episode, we dive into Kira's lack of personal interaction that resulted in a significant change in herself
