An intimate audience listened intently as Canadian singer/songwriter Matthew Good recounted his powerful story about living with bipolar disorder and performed a short musical set at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences’ (Ontario Shores) Imagine Film Festival.
The sold-out show closed the week-long film festival, as Good sat down with television personality Dan Carter for an interview style question and answer session.
Throughout his life Good suffered from periods of mania followed by depressive episodes, but never quite realized the severity of his ups and downs. At age 35, Good learned he had bipolar disorder and with this diagnosis felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders. Now armed with the knowledge of what had plagued him for so many years, he was ready to challenge the illness.
“It had a massive impact on how I viewed my life, and I was willing to participate in the process of recovery,” said Good.
Good received treatment at a mental health hospital in Vancouver where he began taking medication and participating in outpatient programs. After three years of officially living with bipolar disorder, Good recorded another album and will soon embark on his Canadian tour. Along with writing, recording and performing music he shares his mental health experiences with his fans and responds to their questions at every given opportunity.
One such opportunity was his candid discussion with 150 fans at Ontario Shores about life, writing, art, music, current events and of course mental illness. “Like diabetes or any other medical condition, it affects me day-to-day so I am going to talk about it and confront the normalization of it,” he said.
Good wrapped up his presentation with a beautifully raw acoustic set, continuing to chat with the audience between each song.
“It’s just so refreshing to hear someone’s story told with such candour and honesty, which really highlights why we hold this film festival,” said Glenna Raymond, President and CEO of Ontario Shores.
