#REDFLAG: From Executive Producer Kim Kardashian, Premieres Tuesday, May 5 on HLN
Documentary Focuses On Mental Illness Among Young Adults and The Power Of Social Media To Help Them
Many young adults who are plagued with mental illness take to social media to express their pain, often using hashtags like #GiveUp #Cutting and #MakeItGoAway. HLN presents the documentary #RedFlag airing Tuesday, May 5 at 9pm ET to illuminate these cries for help and delve into the use of social media as a powerful tool to identify and help its victims.
Executive Producer Kim Kardashian conceived of the documentary in an effort raise awareness about mental illness among her millennial generation and was inspired by watching the struggles of people she loved.
“I am blessed to be surrounded by family and friends that are loving and nurturing, but not everyone has that kind of support. Twenty-five percent of adults in America will suffer from a mental illness in their lifetime, and many of them turn to social media to vent their depression, loneliness, and isolation,” said Kardashian.
Airing during “Mental Health Awareness Month,” #RedFlag reveals the impact of this disease on its victims, their friends and families, and suggests ways that social media can serve as a method of outreach. Within the program, social media posts, pictures and videos serve as the backbone of the subjects’ stories.
In this sensitive and honest portrayal, #RedFlag depicts two faces of mental illness among young adults. #RedFlagKelley focuses on a 31 year old wife and mother of two, diagnosed as bipolar, who carries emotional scars as a rape victim and product of a broken family. Despite having a loving husband, she sees her disease’s detrimental impact on both her marriage, which is crumbling, and young children.
#RedFlagAndrew follows a teenager consumed with depression after the suicide of his brother. Andrew’s troubles are compounded by his responsibility as caretaker for his mother who suffers from an even more pronounced form of the disease. Both Kelley and Andrew use social media platforms to express their feelings of desperation.
HLN’s Dr. Drew will expand on the issues raised in #RedFlag in an interactive post-show (10-11pm ET) with a studio audience live from his newly rebranded set in Los Angeles. Also in conjunction with ‘Mental Health Awareness Month,’ Dr. Drew will air specially themed programs during his regular 9pm ET hour, and provide thoughtful discussions during HLN’s dayside show, “The Daily Share (M-Fri, noon-5 ET) throughout May.
#RedFlag is produced by GRB Entertainment with Kim Kardashian, Gary R. Benz, Michael Branton, and Jean Shi serving as Executive Producers. Kari Kim is Vice President, Program Development, HLN.
VIDEO PREVIEW: #RedFlag: Mental Illness Meets Social Media
About HLN: HLN rebranded itself in 2014 with the mission of providing the social media community with the first all-screens home for the best social news and lifestyle content in the world. Inspired by the national passion for sharing news, and the technology that makes the flow of information instantly accessible, HLN rips its headlines from social media and actively interacts with consumers and what they are searching, shopping, playing, sharing, creating and watching. HLNtv.com is designed to be the digital home for the nation’s most popular social media content.
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