Mental disorders in film
Many films have portrayed mental disorders or used them as backdrops for other themes. This is a list of some of those films, sorted by disorder, regardless of whether or not the disorder is portrayed accurately. For instance, though 50 First Dates presents a case of anterograde amnesia, the type depicted does not actually exist.
Similarly, dissociative identity disorder, formerly called "multiple identity disorder", is one of the most controversial psychiatric disorders, with no clear consensus on diagnostic criteria or treatment.[1] Most films purporting to represent dissociative identity disorder would not leave that impression.
Owing to the nature of drama, extreme and florid manifestations of any given disorder tend to prevail over the more subtle ones typical of the average case. For example, people with agoraphobia are generally portrayed in drama as recluses who never, or almost never, venture from their homes; in reality, this is rare and extreme, not typical of the agoraphobic population.
Amnesia
Anterograde amnesia
A person with anterograde amnesia is unable to form new memories.
- Clean Slate – 1994
- Winter Sleepers – 1997
- Memento – 2000
- Finding Nemo – 2003
- 50 First Dates – 2004
- Ghajini – 2005
- The Lookout – 2007
- Spider-Man 3 – 2007
- Ghajini – 2008
- The Music Never Stopped – 2011
- Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom – 2012
- Remember Sunday – 2013
- Medulla Oblongata – 2014
- Before I Go To Sleep – 2014
- Finding Dory – 2016
Retrograde amnesia
A much-used plot device, retrograde amnesia occurs when a person forgets part or all of his or her past.
- Random Harvest (1942), in which Ronald Colman's character suffers from the condition not once but twice.
- Crime Doctor – 1943
- Anastasia – 1956
- Paris, Texas – 1984
- The Muppets Take Manhattan – 1984
- Morning Patrol – 1987
- Overboard – 1987
- RoboCop – 1987
- Innale – 1990
- Regarding Henry – 1991
- The Addams Family – 1991
- The English Patient – 1996
- The Long Kiss Goodnight – 1996
- Anastasia – 1997
- Dark City – 1998
- Mulholland Drive – 2001
- The Majestic – 2001
- The Bourne Identity – 2002
- Finding Nemo – 2003
- The Number 23 – 2007
- Spider-Man 3 – 2007
- Rumba – 2008
- Unknown – 2011
- Jab Tak Hai Jaan – 2012
- The Vow – 2012
- Fast and Furious 6 – 2013
- Mumbai Police – 2013
- Trance (2013 film) – 2013
- Furious 7 – 2015
- Finding Dory – 2016
Psychogenic amnesia
"Psychogenic amnesia, also known as dissociative amnesia, is memory loss caused by psychological stress."
- Spellbound – 1945
- The Snake Pit – 1948
- Shadow on the Wall – 1950
- Marnie – 1964
- Mirage – 1965
- Mister Buddwing – 1966
- The Machinist (2004) – insomnia and PTSD inducing or co-morbid with hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and dissociative disorder
- Shutter Island (2010) – considered dissociative disorders
Lacunar amnesia
Lacunar amnesia is the loss of memory about one specific event.
- What Lies Beneath – 2000
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – 2004
- Mysterious Skin – 2004
- Trance – 2013
Dissociative identity disorder
Previously called "multiple personality disorder".
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – 1931
- The Mummy – 1932
- Jamaica Inn – 1939
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – 1941
- House of Dracula – 1945
- A Double Life – 1947
- The Son of Dr. Jekyll – 1951
- The Three Faces of Eve – 1957
- Psycho – 1960
- The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll – 1960
- The Nutty Professor – 1963
- I, Monster – 1971
- Trilogy of Terror - 1975
- Sybil – 1976
- The Tenant – 1976
- Dressed to Kill – 1980
- Happy Birthday to Me – 1981
- My Bloody Valentine – 1981
- Psycho II – 1983
- Birdy – 1984
- Psycho III – 1986
- Angel Heart – 1987
- Psycho IV – 1990
- The Fisher King – 1991
- Raising Cain – 1992
- Manichitrathazhu – 1993
- Color of Night – 1994
- Never Talk to Strangers – 1995
- Primal Fear – 1996
- The Nutty Professor – 1996
- Perfect Blue – 1997
- Psycho – 1998
- Fight Club – 1999
- The Hurricane – 1999
- Me, Myself and Irene – 2000
- Nutty Professor II: The Klumps – 2000
- Nurse Betty – 2000
- Passion of Mind – 2000
- Spider-Man – 2002
- The Hours – 2002
- A Tale of Two Sisters – 2003
- Hulk – 2003
- Identity – 2003
- Secret Window – 2004
- The Machinist – 2004
- Chandramukhi – 2005
- Hide and Seek – 2005
- X-Men: The Last Stand – 2006
- Bhool Bhulaiyaa – 2007
- Mad Detective – 2007
- Numb – 2007
- Sybil – 2007
- Thr3e – 2007
- Dark Floors – 2008
- The Incredible Hulk – 2008
- My Bloody Valentine 3D – 2009
- The Uninvited – 2009
- United States of Tara – 2009 (TV series)
- Black Swan – 2010
- Frankie and Alice – 2010
- Peacock – 2010
- Shutter Island – 2010
- American Horror Story – 2011 Det. John Lowe, Wes Bentley
- Dream House – 2011
- Sucker Punch – 2011
- The Ward – 2011
- Wilfred – 2011 (TV series)
- Birdman – 2014
- Rhodora X – 2014
- Bates Motel – 2013 (TV series)
- Split – 2016
- Housefull 3 – 2016
- The Mummy – 2017
- Mr. Robot – 2015 (TV series)
Eating disorders
- La Grande Bouffe – 1973
- The Best Little Girl in the World – 1981
- Kate's Secret – 1986
- Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story – 1987
- The Karen Carpenter Story – 1989
- Life Is Sweet – 1990
- Uncle Bun – 1991 (Malayalam)
- Trauma (1993 film) – 1993 anorexia
- For the Love of Nancy – 1994
- 301, 302 – 1995
- Dying to be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Pena Story – 1996
- When Friendship Kills – 1996
- Perfect Body – 1997
- Cruel Intentions – 1999
- Girl, Interrupted – 1999
- Sharing the Secret – 2000
- Center Stage – 2000
- Love on a Diet – 2001
- Elephant – 2003
- The Devil Wears Prada – 2006
- Thin – 2006
- Skins – 2007 (TV series) anorexia
- To Be Fat Like Me – 2007
- Drag Me to Hell - 2009
- Glee – 2009 (TV series)
- Black Swan – 2010
- Pretty Little Liars – 2010
- Sharing the Secret – 2010
- American Horror Story - 2011
- Rigodon – 2012
- Compulsion – 2013
- God Help The Girl – 2015 anorexia
- The Road Within – 2015
- To The Bone – 2017 anorexia
Factitious disorder
- The Night Listener (film) – 2006
Folie à deux
"Recent psychiatric classifications refer to the syndrome as shared psychotic disorder (DSM-IV) (297.3) and induced delusional disorder (F24) in the ICD-10."
Histrionic personality disorder
Small Sacrifices-1989 Character of Diane Downs played by Farrah Fawcett
Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Raging Bull-1980 Character of Jake Lamotta played by Robert De Niro
Kleptomania
Maid In Manhattan- 2002 Character of Marisa Ventura played by Jennifer Lopez
Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder
- Sleeping with the Enemy- Character of Martin Burney played by Patrick Bergin
Obsessive–compulsive disorder
- What About Bob?- Character of Bob Wiley played by Bill Murray
- As Good As It Gets- Character of Melvin Udall played by Jack Nicholson
- The Aviator - 2004 Howard Hughes played by Leonardo DiCaprio
Paranoid personality disorder
- Vadakkunokkiyantram – 1989
- Escobar: Paradise Lost – 2014
- Pawn Sacrifice – 2014
Pyromania
- Firestarter- 1984 Character of Charlene "Charlie" McGee played by Drew Barrymore
Pedophilia
- M – 1931
- Germany, Year Zero – 1948
- The Mark – 1961
- The Damned – 1969
- Sweet Movie – 1974
- Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom – 1975
- Pretty Baby – 1978
- A Nightmare on Elm Street – 1984
- Tras el cristal – 1986
- Singapore Sling – 1990
- Lolita – 1997
- Happiness – 1998
- Arayannangalude Veedu – 2000
- Donnie Darko – 2001
- Fat Girl – 2001
- Kill Bill Volume 1 – 2003
- Mystic River – 2003
- Birth – 2004
- The Butterfly Effect – 2004
- Mysterious Skin – 2004
- The Woodsman – 2004
- Hard Candy – 2005
- Sin City – 2005
- Little Children – 2006
- Achchamundu! Achchamundu! – 2009
- The Lovely Bones – 2009
- 5 Sundarikal – 2013 (segment: Sethulakshmi)
Sadistic personality disorder
- Martha – 1974 Helmut Salomn, Karlheinz Böhm
- The Green Mile – 1999 Percy Wetmore, Doug Hutchinson
- Speed – 1994 Howard Payne, Dennis Hopper
- American Horror Story – 2011 Dr. Arthur Arden/Hans Gruper, James Cromwell
Schizoaffective disorder
- Through a Glass Darkly – 1961
- Shine – 1996
- Side Effects – 2013
- Love & Mercy – 2014[4]
Schizoid personality disorder
- Hour Of The Wolf – 1968
- The Remains of the Day – 1993; James Stephens, Anthony Hopkins
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – 2002 character of Gollum
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – 2003 character of Gollum
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – 2012 character of Gollum
- Fifty Shades of Grey – 2015 character of Christian Grey
Schizophrenia
- Strange Voices - 1987 Character of Nicole 'Nikki' Glover played by Nancy McKeon
Self-injury
- Lust for Life – 1956
- The Piano Teacher – 2001
- Secretary – 2002
- Thirteen – 2003
- The Loved Ones – 2009
- Chatroom – 2010
- Black Swan – 2010
- To Write Love on Her Arms – 2012
Substance use disorder
"Drugs listed from most addictive, harmful or destructive to least (from most to least dangerous, based on a 2007 scientific research study."[5]
- The Struggle – 1931 alcohol
- Heroes for Sale – 1933 morphine
- Mystery of the Wax Museum – 1933 morphine
- The Lost Weekend – 1945 alcohol
- Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman – 1947 alcohol
- Night Into Morning – 1951 alcohol
- Come Back, Little Sheba – 1952 alcohol
- Rear Window – 1954 barbiturates, alcohol
- The Man with the Golden Arm – 1955 heroin
- Bigger Than Life – 1956 cortisol
- Monkey on My Back – 1957 morphine
- The Apartment – 1960 barbiturates (Seconal)
- Days of Wine and Roses – 1962 alcohol
- Long Day's Journey Into Night – 1962 morphine, alcohol
- Valley of the Dolls – 1967 amphetamines (Dexedrine), pethidine/meperidine (Demerol), barbiturates (pentobarbital, secobarbital, amobarbital)
- More – 1969 heroin, amphetamines, barbiturates, alcohol, LSD, cannabis
- A Day at the Beach – 1970 alcohol
- Trash – 1970 heroin
- Jennifer on My Mind – 1971 heroin
- The Panic in Needle Park – 1971 heroin
- Pure Shit – 1975 heroin
- Taxi Driver – 1976 opioids, amphetamines, alcohol
- Airplane! – 1980 cocaine, amphetamines, inhalants, alcohol
- The Shining – 1980 alcohol
- Christiane F. – 1981 heroin, PCP, methaqualone (Mandrax/Quaaludes), alcohol, temazepam, diazepam, MDMA, cannabis
- I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can – 1982 Diazepam (Valium)
- Pink Floyd – The Wall – 1982 marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, steroids
- Veronika Voss – 1982 opiates
- The Big Chill - 1983 cocaine, methaqualone (Quaaludes), alcohol, cannabis
- Scarface – 1983 heroin, cocaine, methaqualone (Quaaludes), alcohol
- 8 Million Ways to Die – 1986 alcohol
- Sid and Nancy – 1986 heroin, cocaine, methadone
- Morning Patrol – 1987 alcohol
- Dead Ringers - 1988 hydromorphone, amphetamines, barbiturates (secobarbital, amobarbital), alcohol
- Drugstore Cowboy – 1989 morphine, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, amphetamines, cocaine, alcohol, temazepam, triazolam, flurazepam, diazepam lorazepam, LSD
- Goodfellas – 1990 heroin, cocaine, amphetamines
- "Postcards from the Edge" – 1990 heroin, cocaine
- Jungle Fever – 1991 cocaine
- New Jack City – 1991 cocaine
- Rush – 1991 heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, cannabis
- Ed Wood – 1994 morphine
- Fresh – 1994 heroin, cocaine, alcohol
- The Crow – 1994 morphine, cocaine, alcohol, cannabis
- Pulp Fiction – 1994 heroin, cocaine
- When a Man Loves a Woman – 1994 alcohol
- Leaving Las Vegas – 1995 alcohol
- The Basketball Diaries – 1995 heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, barbiturates, alcohol, inhalants, cannabis
- Casino – 1995 morphine, cocaine, alcohol
- Trainspotting – 1996 heroin/morphine, dextromoramide, amphetamines, cocaine, pethidine/meperidine (Demerol), opium, methadone, pentobarbital, amobarbital (sodium amytal), alcohol, buprenorphine, temazepam, diazepam, nitrazepam, phenobarbital, cannabis, cyclizine, codeine, dextropropoxyphene, nalbuphine, pentazocine, buprenorphine, chlormethiazole
- Playing God – 1997 morphine, fentanyl, amphetamines
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – 1998 amphetamines, cocaine, barbiturates, alcohol, inhalants, mescaline, LSD, cannabis
- Gia – 1998 heroin, cocaine, alcohol
- Permanent Midnight – 1998 heroin, cocaine, methadone
- Bringing Out the Dead – 1999 heroin, alcohol
- Broken Vessels – 1999 methamphetamine, heroin
- Cruel Intentions – 1999 cocaine, alcohol
- Jesus' Son – 1999 heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, opium, alcohol, diazepam, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms
- Magnolia – 1999 morphine, cocaine, MDMA
- 28 Days – 2000 Oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, benzodiazepines
- Almost Famous – 2000 hydrocodone (Vicodin), methaqualone (Quaaludes), alcohol, LSD, cannabis
- American Psycho – 2000 cocaine, alcohol, temazepam, triazolam, alprazolam, MDMA, cannabis
- In Vanda's Room – 2000 heroin
- Requiem for a Dream – 2000 heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, barbiturates, alcohol, benzodiazepines, MDMA, LSD, cannabis
- Traffic – 2000 heroin, cocaine, cannabis
- Blow – 2001 cocaine, alcohol, LSD, cannabis
- Bully – 2001 methamphetamine, LSD, cannabis
- Hannibal – 2001 morphine, temazepam, midazolam, chloroform
- 24 Hour Party People – 2002 heroin, cocaine, methadone, MDMA
- Love Liza – 2002 huffing gasoline
- Pure – 2002 heroin, cocaine, alcohol, cannabis
- Spun – 2002 methamphetamine, amphetamine
- The Loser Takes It All – 2002 alcohol
- The Salton Sea – 2002 methamphetamine, alcohol
- Thirteen – cocaine, inhalants, alcohol, cannabis
- Party Monster – 2003 heroin, cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, LSD
- Wonderland – 2003 methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, methaqualone (Quaaludes), cannabis
- One Perfect Day – 2004 morphine, amphetamines, codeine, temazepam, MDMA, cannabis
- Get Rich or Die Tryin' – 2005 morphine, cocaine, alcohol, cannabis
- A Scanner Darkly – 2006 amphetamines, methamphetamine, cannabis, cocaine
- Candy – 2006 heroin/morphine, methadone, MDMA, cannabis
- Factory Girl – 2006 heroin, amphetamines, oxycodone, hydrocodone, temazepam, lorazepam, cannabis
- Lights in the Dusk – 2006 alcohol
- Love is the Drug – 2006 cocaine, hydrocodone, alcohol, codeine, Viagra, cannabis
- Someone To Run With – 2006 heroin, cocaine
- The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down – 2006 heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, MDMA, Viagra, cannabis
- The Departed – 2006 cocaine, benzodiazepines
- Across the Universe – 2007 morphine, LSD, cannabis
- Enter the Void – 2008 DMT, methamphetamine, cocaine, alcohol, MDMA, LSD, cannabis
- American Horror Story – 2011 methamphetamine, heroin/morphine, cocaine, amphetamines, opium, alcohol, benzodiazepines, cannabis
- Shameless (U.S. TV series) – 2011 methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, cannabis
- Anna Karenina – 2012 morphine
- Flight – 2012 heroin, cocaine, alcohol
- On the Road – 2012 morphine, amphetamines, alcohol, cannabis
- The Wolf of Wall Street – 2013 cocaine, methaqualone, alcohol
- I Smile Back – 2015 cocaine, alcohol
- Nee-Na – 2015 alcohol
- To Write Love on Her Arms – 2015 alcohol, cocaine (other drugs not specified)
Suicide
- It's a Wonderful Life - 1946
- Germany, Year Zero – 1948
- Winter Light – 1963
- Dr. Strangelove – 1964
- The Damned – 1969
- Harold and Maude – 1971
- Vase de Noces – 1974
- Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom – 1975
- Ordinary People – 1980
- An Officer and a Gentleman – 1982
- The Big Chill – 1983
- Videodrome – 1983
- Better Off Dead – 1985
- Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters – 1985
- 'night, Mother – 1986
- Full Metal Jacket – 1987
- Lethal Weapon – 1987
- Heathers – 1988
- Dead Poets Society – 1989
- Thelma and Louise – 1991
- The Client – 1994
- The Shawshank Redemption – 1994
- Leaving Las Vegas – 1995
- Breaking the Waves – 1996
- Hard Core Logo – 1996
- Romeo + Juliet – 1996
- Boogie Nights – 1997
- The Last Time I Committed Suicide – 1997
- Gods and Monsters – 1998
- What Dreams May Come – 1998
- Girl, Interrupted – 1999
- The Virgin Suicides – 1999
- Almost Famous – 2000
- Monster's Ball – 2001
- The Royal Tenenbaums – 2001
- Vanilla Sky – 2001
- The Good Girl – 2002
- The Hours – 2002
- The Rules of Attraction – 2002
- Cache' – 2005
- The Chumscrubber – 2005
- Wristcutters: A Love Story – 2006
- Seven Pounds – 2008
- A Single Man – 2009
- Mary and Max – 2009
- To Save a Life – 2009
- World's Greatest Dad – 2009
- Inception – 2010
- Black Swan – 2010
- Detachment – 2011
- Shame – 2011
- Oslo, August 31st – 2011
- Suicide Room – 2011
- Les Misérables – 2012
- Prisoners – 2013
- A Long Way Down – 2014
- Ida – 2014
- The Skeleton Twins – 2014
- Two Days, One Night – 2014
- Rocks in My Pockets – 2014
- A Girl Like Her – 2015
- 13 Reasons Why – 2017
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – 2017
- Difficulty Breathing - 2017
See also
Notes
- ↑ "Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is probably the most disputed of psychiatric diagnoses and of psychological forensic evaluations in the legal arena. The iatrogenic proponents assert that DID phenomena originate from psychotherapeutic treatment, while traumagenic proponents state that DID develops after severe and chronic childhood trauma. In addition, DID that is simulated [feigned] with malingering intentions, but not stimulated by psychotherapeutic treatment, may be called pseudogenic. With DID gaining more interest among the general public, it can be expected that the number of pseudogenic cases will grow and the need to distinguish between traumagenic, iatrogenic, or pseudogenic DID will increase accordingly." Reinders AA (2008). "Cross-examining dissociative identity disorder: Neuroimaging and etiology on trial". Neurocase. 14 (1): 44–53. doi:10.1080/13554790801992768. PMID 18569730.
- ↑ Evelyn B. Kelly (2015). The 101 Most Unusual Diseases and Disorders. ABC-CLIO. pp. 83–84. ISBN 978-1-61069-676-0.
- ↑ "Skeptical Cinema: 'Bug' and folie à deux". CFI Center for Inquiry. 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ↑ Light, Alan (May 29, 2015). "In _éïLove & Mercy,_éì Brian Wilson Is Portrayed by John Cusack and Paul Dano". The New York Times.
- ↑ Nutt, D; King LA; Saulsbury W; Blakemore C (24 March 2007). "Development of a rational scale to assess the harm of drugs of potential misuse". The Lancet. 369 (9566): 1047_éç1053. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60464-4. PMID 17382831.
References
- Danny Wedding, Mary Ann Boyd and Ryan M. Niemiec, Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology, 2nd ed., Cambridge, MA, Hogrefe & Hufer Publishing, 2005, ISBN 0-88937-292-6. http://www.hogrefe.com/program/movies-and-mental-illness.html
- David J. Robinson, Reel Psychiatry: Movie Portrayals of Psychiatric Conditions, Rapid Psychler Press, 2003, ISBN 1-894328-07-8.
- Glen O. Gabbard and Krin Gabbard, Psychiatry and the Cinema, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2nd ed., 1999, ISBN 0-88048-964-2.
- Otto F. Wahl, Media Madness: Public Images of Mental Illness, Piscataway, NJ, Rutgers University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-8135-2213-7.