Boy Interrupted
Boy Interrupted is a 2009 documentary filmed by Perry Films. The film is based on the life of Evan Perry, who experienced bipolar depression from a young age. The documentary was filmed throughout Evan's life, because whenever his parents, Dana and Hart Perry, consulted a psychiatrist about Evan's suicidal comments or other signs of mental illness, the psychiatrists did not believe that their son was depressed. The footage was originally meant to show the healthcare professionals what was happening in Evan's life and to help them access the treatment Evan needed. Evan was diagnosed with depression at age 5, and he was later diagnosed with bipolar depression. Despite the treatment and medication received, he died by suicide in 2005 at age 15. Evan Perry had a family medical history involving serious mental illnesses. This documentary mostly focused on how his bipolar depression affected him and those who loved him. About four years after Evan's death, the documentary was shown at the Sundance Film Festival and released on television and DVD. Story Early childhood Evan was very loving towards his family and others. At school, he was always the model student, behaving very well and being helpful. When he was four years old, he started telling his mom that he wanted to kill himself. It shocked her because at that age, she thought kids would not even know what death is, and he did not seem sad when he was talking about dying. In kindergarten, Evan said he wanted to kill himself in front of the whole class. The teacher told his parents, and Hart and Dana Perry took him to see a therapist. In 1995, mental health professionals were uncertain whether young children could be depressed. Dana Perry, a professional filmmaker, knew that psychiatrists would not believe everything she told them about her son. At this point, she decided to film as much as she could from Evan's life, especially when he talked about suicide. At age 5, Evan Perry was diagnosed with depression, and he was prescribed Prozac. The medication did not seem to be working, but it was their only choice, so they decided to give it time. Evan was very much into filming, just like his parents. At home he would make skits with his brothers and film vacations, and at school he would make plays. Most of his plays were about death. By the time Evan was 7 years old, he started behaving like a teenager. His responses were really short towards his family, he was listening to Nirvana, he was writing songs about suicide, demons, and pain, and he would lock himself in his room away from everyone. His parents knew this behavior wasn't normal at this age, and they were concerned, but there wasn't much they could do. Middle childhood When Evan was 10 years old he started attending Pk Yonge School and made his first attempt to commit suicide. He was at school and he sneaked off to the roof while everyone was