CURRENTLY IN PRODUCTION

14 videos. The full picture. Available soon.

The Sam Project's Transparency Series is a free 14-part video series covering everything the mainstream mental health conversation isn't saying — the evidence, the causes, the system, and what genuine prevention looks like. In plain language. For every Australian.

The series covers the four causes of mental illness, brain health from prenatal to age 25, the emerging field of metabolic psychiatry, what the research actually says about antidepressants, why awareness campaigns are falling short, and much more. Each episode is built on published, peer-reviewed research.

— Episode List —

01  Where Stigma Really Begins  Why the clinical model that's meant to help people often makes stigma worse — and what a cause-focused alternative looks like.

02  The Chemical Imbalance Story  What the evidence actually says about serotonin, depression, and the narrative that shaped a generation of treatment.

03  Who Built This System — and Why  The influence of industry on research, universities, and government — and what it means for the care people receive.

04  What Antidepressants Actually Do  An honest look at the efficacy data — what SSRIs achieve, what they don't, and what the trials don't tell us.

05  The Long-Term Picture  Safety concerns, side effects, and the questions about long-term use that aren't being asked loudly enough.

06  The Exit Problem  Discontinuation, withdrawal, and why so many people find themselves on medication far longer than intended.

07  Young Australians — The Most Urgent Priority  Rising prescription rates, off-label use, and what the evidence says about treating young people with antidepressants.

08  The Alternatives That Work  CBT, metabolic psychiatry, lifestyle intervention — the treatments with strong evidence that remain at the margins.

09  A Practical Guide to Getting Better Help  How to navigate the existing system, ask better questions, and advocate for cause-focused care.

10  Our Children Are Telling Us Something  From prenatal nutrition to adolescent screen use — why the developing brain is our most urgent mental health priority.

11  Ultra-Processed Food and the Brain  The evidence linking UPF to depression and anxiety — and why there is no national campaign about it.

12  What Awareness Campaigns Get Wrong  The evidence on whether campaigns like R U OK? Day actually reduce mental illness — and what better campaigns would say.

13  The Campaigns We Actually Need  Diet, movement, sleep, connection — why these four causes aren't the subject of national campaigns, and why they should be.

14  The Evidence Side by Side  SSRIs, exercise, diet, sleep interventions and CBT — compared honestly on the same evidence base.

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