Mental Health on Screen

For World Mental Health Day, the team at IPM has compiled a list of Films and Series that have brought the importance of understanding mental health to the fore front for all viewers. Academy Award winning to Netflix series here are 5 of our favourite on-screen performances:

 
Maniac (Limited Series)
 
This Netflix original limited series created by Cary Joji Fukunaga, Maniac depicts mental health disorders in the form of Jonah Hill’s Owen Milgrim, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, and Emma Stone’s Annie Landsberg, who suffers with borderline personality disorder. They work together in a pharmaceutical trial to try to overcome their mental illnesses by being put into the minds of virtual characters. The show is very sensitive in its depiction of mental health with a great respect to the struggles both men and women face with mental health. 

​Silver Linings Playbook
 
In this Academy Award nominated film directed by David O’Russell the stars Bradley Cooper as Pat Solitano Jr suffers from bipolar disorder, after spending time in a mental institution he moves in with his parents and wishes to reconnect with his ex-wife. Alongside Cooper, his co-star Jennifer Lawrence plays Tiffany Maxwell who suffers from borderline personality disorder, the two navigate suburban life with the stigma placed upon mental health. Jennifer Lawrence’s portrayal of borderline personality disorder won her an academy award. The film has been heavily praised for it’s portrayal of mental illness and how understanding mental health can break all stigmas. 

​Aviator
 
Martin Scorsese’s Aviator depicts the life of inventor, business magnate, film director and record breaking pilot Howard Hughes. The film has a heavy focus on Howard Hughes mental health towards to latter end of his life. He stayed in his studio’s screening room for four months straight as his obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) had worsened, he was surrounded by boxes of tissues and constantly rearranged them, he lived on a diet of chocolate, chicken and drinking milk. When he finally emerged his hygiene had taken a turn. Depicting the struggle of Howard, Leonardo DiCaprio received 11 academy award nominations winning, highlighting the need to find resources for men facing mental health challenges. 

​A Beautiful Mind
 
Russell Crowe plays Mathematician John Nash, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, warping his perception of reality vs. his mind's creations. Exploring the impact on his family, the film takes of liberties on Nash’s illness changing some of the real experiences Nash came up agains, such as Nash stopping his medication earlier in real life, but the filmmakers were conscious of people seeing it depicted in the film and wanted to show with care and help, it is an aspect of mental health that can be understood.

​Good Will Hunting
 
Academy Award winning film Good Will Hunting starring Robin Williams as Dr Sean Maguire and Matt Damon as mentally ill janitor Will Hunting, although it is not explicitly said it is believed that Matt Damon’s Will Hunting suffers post traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder due to childhood trauma, which has put him down a downwards path in life but once he starts his therapy with Dr Sean Maguire he is able to start to work on his mental health and gain control of his life. An advocate for mental health, the late Robin Williams received his first academy award for his role.

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