“Monster in the Mind” is an intriguing documentary look at Alzheimer’s Disease. 80-year-old CNN veteran Jean Carper takes the viewer along as she confronts her fears after learning she carries the APOE e4 gene, which may increase her chances of contracting Alzheimer’s. Having already produced a film on the disease 30 years ago, Jean sets out to see what has changed on the medical front using herself as a guinea pig.

The film takes on a comedic tint at times, as Jean uses clips from old horror movies juxtaposed in with some of the past doom and gloom predictions of early researchers. During the film, she is poked, prodded, has CT scans of her brain, and takes a barrage of cognitive tests to find out her potential to develop the disease. The findings surprise her, and the interviews with current leaders in the field show there is great promise for mediation of the disease, in that everyone can make a difference in their own health outcomes.

“Monster in the Mind” is a quick, 60-minute visit into the current world of Alzheimer’s research. It features top doctors and researchers and imparts lots of usable information to the viewer. In walking us through the process of learning IF she has Alzheimer’s, Jean makes the journey far less frightening to those facing diagnosis and conversations with their doctors. Highly recommended.

  • Sue, Library Assistant