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# Step Up on Second offers free mental health film screening and lecture series in May
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/050406-story-20060504/
- Published: 2006-05-04T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:41:29.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Health, Santa Monica, #archive-import

May is mental health month and Step Up on Second, a premier mental health agency which provides support to individuals with mental illness, is providing a free documentary film screening and lectures series.

The documentary film “Out of the Shadow,” by Susan Smiley, chronicles the filmmaker’s schizophrenic mother as she suffers through the chaos of the mental health system, as well as that of her own mind. The film will be screened on Saturday, May 6, at 11 a.m. in the Laemmle Theater, 1332 Second St.

The lectures series will address different aspects of mental illness and are facilitated by experts in the field. The lectures are informative and an opportunity to learn about mental illness from the experts. The lecture series will take place on three consecutive Tuesday evenings, May 9, 16 and 23, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The schedule is as follows: May 9: “Understanding the Ups and Downs of Bipolar Disorder” with Dr. Michael DiPaolo.

May 16: “Medications 2006: A Discussion about Medications & Treatment of Mental Illness” with Dr. Dino Tripodis.

May 23: “What is Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Why is it the State of the Art Treatment for Mental Illness” with Dr. Alex Kopelowicz.

DiPaolo has a private practice in West Los Angeles and is a consultant with the UCLA Psych Rehab Program. Tripodis is the medical director of Hillview Medical Health Center and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine. Kopelowicz is the medical director of the San Fernando Mental Health Center and associate professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine.

The lectures will be held in Santa Monica at 1299 Ocean Ave. Enter on Arizona Avenue at Dimensional Fund Advisors.

All events are free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Call Cory O’Connell at (310) 394-6889, ext. 22 to reserve a seat. Daybreak sale rolls out

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 4, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/050406.pdf?ref=smdp.com)