20 Movies That Depict Mental Illness

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Movies that depict mental illness get a bad reputation if the slightest thing is off. This is true largely because people who endure such conditions don’t appreciate movies misrepresenting their lives. That sounds fair, and it’s one reason why movies that get it right are easier to respect.

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The King of Staten Island

From the start of this movie, there’s no doubt that Pete Davidson’s character is not all there. There’s a reason for this of course, but closing your eyes while driving down the highway is not considered normal. Borderline Personality Disorder isn’t mentioned heavily, but it’s easy to pick up from the content.

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Leaving Las Vegas

When talking about movies that depict mental illness, depression and alcoholism feel like common ailments. What’s unfortunate is that to show them with any realism, it gets a little uncomfortable, as Ben shows in this movie more than once.

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Silver Linings Playbook

This movie has been called an irreverent look at Bipolar Disorder thanks to the awkward comedy. But what many don’t appear to realize is that in Pat’s case, there isn’t as much comedy as there is tightrope-walking between his good and bad days.

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Girl, Interrupted

Borderline Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Sociopathy are on full display in this movie. Unfortunately, what is too true is that sometimes a diagnosis is withheld from patients and those who care about them. It’s not the norm, but it does happen.

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Little Miss Sunshine

Suicidal thoughts brought on by depression find their way into many movies, and in many cases, they’re not entirely accurate. Unfortunately, accuracy brings a high level of discomfort for some viewers. What’s interesting about this movie is that an entire family shares this condition.

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Each one of the genuine cases of mental illness portrayed in this movie is accurate. Sadly, this includes the faked psychosis of the main character, who figures that life in the mental ward is easier than serving time in prison.

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Joker

Some people claim that Joker falsely portrays the effects of an abusive household and societal factors that lead to the mental break of an individual. What those folks don’t appear to realize is that there are many different paths a troubled individual can walk down. This is just one of them, and it’s sadly quite accurate.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Suicide indeed messes people up, as Charlie shows in this movie. But what was great about this story, despite being depressing, is that it wasn’t sugar-coated in the least. Raw emotion is more honest than mere acting, and moviegoers appreciate this.

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What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

Mental illness is one of the main points of this movie and it is depicted with stunning accuracy. Arnie’s mental condition and Bonnie Grape’s depression are two of the most prominent points in this entire film.

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Fight Club

It’s tough to think that anyone could just ‘split’ into two distinct beings, and allow their other self to cause harm to their physical body. But leading up to the revelation of who Tyler is, the Narrator goes through a transformation that, to many people, likely feels too familiar.

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Black Swan

Stress and pressure do cause a lot of people to undergo a transition from normal life into various psychoses that can ruin their lives. The kind of pressure that is felt by the main character in this movie is intense, but collapsing inward creates an effect that spirals out of control very quickly.

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Matchstick Men

A lot of people still don’t fully understand what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is. But the interesting fact is that as actors go, Nicolas Cage is one of the best individuals to portray this mental illness since he goes all-in during several scenes.

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Split

Featuring DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder, is risky in the movies. There are usually people in the wings waiting to pounce on movies depicting mental illness. But thanks to James McAvoy’s performance this movie was creepy and way too accurate for comfort.

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The Aviator

Based on the true life of Howard Huges, this movie cut through a lot of history as many films based on true stories do. Still, his descent into what would be called madness as his OCD took hold was gripping and kind of frightening in a way.

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Identity

This is a very fanciful look at DID, but in truth, it helps a lot of moviegoers to understand what this disorder is about. The stress and added pressure of maintaining multiple identities is enough to make many people snap, and there’s no telling what will occur once that happens.

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Donnie Darko

Watching the gradual decline of a person throughout a movie is still a little too quick for some moviegoers. But the grandiose visions and paranoid schizophrenia that Donnie goes through are a little too realistic in some ways.

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Patch Adams

Staying in a mental ward doesn’t inspire everyone to break free of bipolar disorder. That’s not how it works, after all. But considering that this is based on a true story makes it inspirational and, in a lot of ways, a ray of hope to a lot of folks.

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A Beautiful Mind

Much like depression, paranoid schizophrenia is a popular subject to focus on in movies, particularly in stories based on true events. While many people have criticized this movie, the fact is that it does depict this mental disorder fairly.

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Memento

As mental illnesses go, anterograde amnesia is unpredictable but is explained in this film. It’s not necessarily as serious as many of the other conditions listed, but it is still highly troubling to the person going through it.

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Good Will Hunting

Those who have watched this movie know that Will, the main character, suffers heavily from PTSD, BPD, mood disorder, and a serious inferiority complex. It’s tough to tell given his tough exterior, but Robin Williams’ character puts it perfectly when he states that Will pushes people away before they can hurt or leave him. Movies that depict mental illness are often hard to watch, especially with actors who push the limits.