It's difficult to turn attention away from the fun and sexy public image created by Bettie Page's photo legacy. Still, it's impossible to ponder that legacy without factoring in what made Bettie-the-person tick. And as ugly as it may be to face, Bettie spent decades battling schizophrenia.

Perhaps you had a chance to catch the insightful Charlie Rose panel on brain disorders, targeting depression and schizophrenia. It's currently re-running, likely on a PBS station near you.

If, however, you missed it, here's Rose's co-host, Nobel Prize winner, Eric R. Kandel, MD (from Columbia University in New York) with a one minute-ish overview of schizophrenia. It's worth your time to give this video a listen if you're interested in Bettie Page.

http://www.mindsontheedge.org/about/panelist/6

One of the panelists on the Charlie Rose episode was law professor, Elyn Saks, who won a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant" in 2009. She has overcome horrific odds to rise above her decades long personal struggle with schizophrenia.

Take a minute to hear her describe the experiential "utter terror" of a full blown schizophrenic episode, which she likens to a waking nightmare.

http://www.mindsontheedge.org/about/panelist/9

The above video clips were extracted from the PBS show, "Minds on the Edge."

If you want to understand key issues that affected Bettie's life, then this show is must see TV. The complete episode is archived here:

http://www.mindsontheedge.org/watch/fullprogram


If you prefer, the show was divided into six segments:

http://www.mindsontheedge.org/watch


Be sure to watch this section:

James Gets Arrested: http://www.mindsontheedge.org/watch/james/1

Hear the horrifying reality: Judges are more likely to see a chronic psych patient than a psychiatrist. Why? You can thank inadequate, under-funded mental health programs.

Mental health systems with fully fleshed out services were never created. We don't actually have a mental health system.