Why most movies about mental illness are terrible

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Жыл бұрын

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Depictions of mental illness on the silver screen are often lacking when it comes to how accurately they portray the lives of real people with these disorders. Why is this the case? Find out why mental illness makes for a poor fit with movies and storytelling in this video.
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Пікірлер: 75

@ballisticalrift Жыл бұрын

You brought up a great point about most experiences with mental illness being non-visual in nature. Even when I experience psychosis during bipolar depression, my personal visual hallucinations don’t match popular depictions of them, and my delusional thoughts and increased obsessive thoughts are much more debilitating but are unable to be visualized. Great video!

@matthewcrome5835 Жыл бұрын

I'm autistic and my favorite movies about autism (as an autistic person) are Mary & Max and Stranger Than Fiction (no explicit mention of autism but very heavily coded in the main character and to an extent in another character). These are the only good movies about autism that I've seen, because they don't make the entire film about the person's autism, and rather about the story and the characters. My favorite film about mental illness in general is 12 Monkeys. I think it's so brilliant in depicting a state of mental chaos and the way mental institutions/medications fail people. As much as I love The Sixth Sense (Bruce Willis may have been in a lot of bad movies, but he was sure in some good ones in the 90s) for its tearjerking metaphor for living with mental illness/anything disbelieved by society, I equally hate many of M. Night Shamalamadoingdoing's films that portray mentally ill/disabled people as killers (which even The Sixth Sense does).

@alexz4752 3 ай бұрын

A year later, I'd recommend reading The Stranger by Albert Camus if you haven't already. The protagonist is based on a friend of Camus who's believed to have been autistic based on accounts of his life, and although the book is about the absurdity of social conventions and what we base our morality on, Camus does an excellent job of capturing the headspace of a neurodivergent who feels no attachment to himself, love, life, or death; or so he thinks.

@mustacheofgold6846 3 ай бұрын

As raunchy as it is, to me, South Park's "Feeling old yet" & "Assburgers" are 100% the perfect depiction of depression. Simply said: to Stan, everything turns to shit. Literally. His favorite music turns to fart noises, his favorite food turns to turds, actors he likes are replaced by talking poop etc. At a certain point, he doesn't feel compelled to do anything anymore and turns into a bitter person nobody wants to hang out with. Nothing actually changed in the world, but merely how he perceives it. If everything is shit, doing anything feels pointless. It made for a compelling plot and it didn't even have a happy ending. Stan became an alcoholic, since alcohol is the only thing that temporarily removes the shit, and they never bring it up again.

@87engr Жыл бұрын

I think “Monk”, while unrealistic in some aspects, did a decent job showing a mental illness (OCD and to some extent OCPD) as a chronic condition which has remissions and relapses and often makes the most mundane tasks difficult.

@TorGNorge 7 ай бұрын

Also, the aviator is pretty decent

@smk581 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely love this as someone interested in the intersection of psychiatry and creative writing. Very honest. Keep it up!

@user-oy6lp7pc4h Ай бұрын

Not intresting ti have it its hirrible😢

@food2430 Жыл бұрын

Very well articulated. Loved it

@dilshadicad44 11 күн бұрын

Such a well written and well articulated video! Thanks :)

@KalypsoVega Жыл бұрын

I was in college for sociology and psychology and was able to use the film Fight Club in a forum conversation regarding certain topics of mental health. I feel like Fight CClub does a good job of expressing certain mental health problems

@riverd3698 Жыл бұрын

Very interesting video! Would be nice if there was a compilation of real representation of mental disorders in movies

@josawesome1 8 ай бұрын

I personally think that Aftersun is the best depiction of depression I’ve ever seen. The unexplainable is the point in the film, as it’s told by the character’s daughter trying to remember her last few days with him to try and understand why he took his own life. But it doesn’t really provide any clarity. Devastating and beautiful film.

@NotSoNormal1987 Жыл бұрын

I'm not sure I've seen an accurate depiction of any of the mental illnesses I suffer in the media. Which is sad. I feel like we could use some real representation. At the end of the day, I'm just a human being that also has some extra stuff to deal with. It's not flashy. I'm not some scary unpredictable thing. I'm just a person living a pretty basic life. I may have more meds than the average person. And more appointments to go to. But I'm just a regular human being. I've had people say that I act too normal to have bipolar disorder for instance. Which is a rather odd thing for someone to say. I'm not sure exactly what they expect. But it's certainly not my actual lived experience.

@sukaitodd2510 9 ай бұрын

Great video! I think Christopher Nolan's films "The Prestige" and "Memento" are two excellent, albeit non-linear displays of how mental illnesses can be properly or at least somewhat decently portrayed in media in a way that is both realistic and a bit haunting. Without spoilers for those who may have not seen it, I believe one of the main characters in "The Prestige" may have narcissistic disorder among others and the other main character definitely shows signs of dependency. Whereas in "Memento", it's a non-linear journey of how menacing (yes, menacing but it is handled somewhat tenderly, ironically) and equally tenderly of having C-PTSD. Of course, there are many, many, many elements in both of these films that complicate this comment. But I think these movies are at least decent visual representations of some of what mental disorders can look like, taken to extremes, in my opinion. Sorry for the essay (lol). I hope whoever reads this has a great time of day, if you made it this far. :)

@Stopnormalizingviolence 7 ай бұрын

Fatal Attraction, in my opinion, has done major damage to society's view about women, especially women with borderline personality disorder or borderline traits, even though there is no mention of BPD or any other mental diagnosis in the movie. To this day I'm still seeing ugly comments like "Women with BPD are bunny boilers!" On popular BPD video comment sections, Fatal Attraction comparisons come up regularly. When I did a little research into that movie, I've read that many mental health professionals say the star's symptoms in the movie more closely line up with erotomania. That movie is very misogynistic also. It depicts the unfaithful husband as some kind of hero for killing the mentally ill woman in the end. How depressing that so many people think that was such a great movie.

@HasanAlKharfan Жыл бұрын

I love the amazing quality of this channel.

@dr.ashvinchouhansendurance6568 Жыл бұрын

Dear sir, you made such a valid awareness videos. Plz tell being a psychiatrist how do you get time to prepare such things.?

@TheOpticalFreak Жыл бұрын

Verry well said! 🙏☺️👍 These movies influenced me heavenly when I was younger and made me hesitant to go to s psychologist and get help I was also afraid to take medication because I thought the side effects would maybe make me worse and want to hurt people! But that was very far from reality! I am happy i got help for my depression! 👍😉

@sethclark9220 26 күн бұрын

The best media example I experienced is The Cat Lady (2012) video game. They did sacrifice some aspects for the sake of story, with supernatural elements, but the atmosphere holds for depression. The game stays in black and white with few other colors. Shows the feeling of futility, anger, and helplessness that comes with it. It can be campy or a bit overt at times, but the conclusion shows that things dont necessarily get better, as she says "I've been getting better, but I must admit, yesterday was real bad" showing that depression doesn't conclude, it simply can only be managed.

@ziyu3886 Жыл бұрын

Great video 👍

@KiaraBarmen-gw6wc 5 ай бұрын

Inside out is one of the only movies I know that actually present depression a mental health issues properly

@Brando-wc8fz 2 ай бұрын

ITS LIKE DRAWING WIND… CAN YOU?

@jomamacallinyou 20 күн бұрын

Thank you. Very much.

@adde9506 26 күн бұрын

There might be a successful formula for depicting an in depth and accurate look at mental illness. I've got a few issues, but the one where I could really see it work is OCD, particularly "germaphobia." I often have to stop and plan how I am going to work around the gross or heal the "contamination" that comes from wading straight in. It doesn't stop me from responding in an emergency, it doesn't cause me to have outbursts, but I'm going to have to wash SO MUCH. So, I could never be the protagonist, I only get better when I'm less stressed, wjich is the oppositeof a plot. The protagonist would have to have their story arc and carry the adventure while learning that their germaphobe-second-banana can't be logiced but that they can help them be "more functional." For me, being more functional usually involves people actually doing the very few things I ask them to, and not helping when it just means I'll have to redo it. You can put the dirty laundry in the washer for me but Don't touch the clean stuff. Not a very heroic example, but part of the heroes journey would be getting the idea that it's not scalable and it's not logical. I know all doorknobs are equally disgusting all the time but I only care when I just washed my hands. Of course the movie ends with the germaphobe doing something disgusting while having hesitated to consider that it does majorly upset the OCD and then act like a totally nornal person for the remainder of the climax: the hero thinks they're cured! And then the germaphobe hurls themselves into shower when they get home to have a proper scrubby-dubby freakout. The hero is left to conclude that they did save the day hut that they cannot save the germaphobe from OCD. But they can wash tgeir handsato get them a clean towel without needing to be asked. The movie wouldn't about OCD. It could be superheroes, or war, or teachers, or sports. OCD is the C or D plot. And the purpose of that plot is that it's a big deal me to be a germaphobe, it's not a hig deal for you that I'm a germaphobe.

@mansisingh7349 Жыл бұрын

This is so accurate and on the point.

@darcichambers6184 Жыл бұрын

As someone with bipolar whose depressions are accompanied with hallucinations, one of the best representations I thougut was Kandis (in the books). Being in her head the entire time, there was a lot of me going. Hey yeah, this is more like what I go through then any media I've consumed. Then the movies ruined it. They lost the point of telling a broken girl's story, and instead focused on all the cool shots the games gave them.

@maj.a5544 Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much.

@robmehlenbacher402 Жыл бұрын

Beautifully written.

@YeshMCx Жыл бұрын

Julien Donkey Boy is an incredible portrayal of Schizophrenia and mental illness. The director/writer based the main character off of his schizophrenic grandfather who he grew up with. Beautiful film. Definitely worth checking out

@MemorablePsych Жыл бұрын

Will have to check it out!

@justmadeit2 7 ай бұрын

The fisher king is a fairly good one about feeling guilt and having a breakdown

@cathy7382 3 ай бұрын

I thought Beautiful Mind was a accurate portrait of schizophrenia and another film Mr Jones was also a good picture of someone who suffers from bipolar disorder

@ElisaMarieKing 2 ай бұрын

I was very disappointed in The Joker movie for this reason. I appreciated the attempt to layer the character and show their struggle, but it was ultimately used to "justify" violence. The stigma continues.

@yea9725 19 күн бұрын

it's just a ripoff of taxi driver but cringe

@ElisaMarieKing 19 күн бұрын

@@yea9725 Wow. I never viewed Taxi Driver, but from the clips and characterization of Dinero, I can sense that tone. Ironic he was in Joker? Or intentional casting?

@joshbarreras7255 5 ай бұрын

Easier enough what to improve myself completely

@desiv1170 3 ай бұрын

"So, let's look at an example of temporality, causality, and character.." Ok, I'll pick... How about Memento... "Damnit"

@tuyetphananh6695 Жыл бұрын

How do you think about the movie One flew over the cuckoo's nest?

@marktomlin5818 Жыл бұрын

Theres also the female version which is Girl Interrupted

@wavelifesosa 3 ай бұрын

The Accountant Has To Be One Of The Best & Most Realistic Depictions Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

@esyt3639 Жыл бұрын

Amazing

@miomayo 2 ай бұрын

Just saying: You don't need to think inside the box to create a compelling narrative. Creative writing is an art form that requires no rigid adherence to a specific structure. Creative writing is about freedom - the freedom to invent worlds beyond your wildest dreams. The freedom to express yourself - your thoughts, your experiences, your feelings and views. The freedom bring your vision to life. But please, please, PLEASE learn to treat the serious themes (like mental health, trauma, etc.) in your stories with the upmost respect. These stories don't fail because mental illness is too disorganized and thus unappealing. There ARE stories with compelling and eye-opening depictions of mental health that could keep you hooked for days, even long after you finish that experience. There ARE stories with unorthodox and complex styles of storytelling that are both griping and evocative. No, no - these stories fail because they don't treat these themes with the proper respect and delicacy they often require and deserve. They receive backlash - not because of the story structure, but because of their handling and poor representation of these delicate subjects. Please, please, to anyone who wants to tell a story, don't let yourself be disheartened. Tell that story and tell it well. And if at first you don't succeed, that's okay. You'll get better with time, just like any other artist. You got this

@llhg9511 4 ай бұрын

So some movies suck because they try to be better movies?

@KalypsoVega Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video. At first, I felt like maybe it was going to be an unnecessary complaint like most social justice complaints are. However, I was delighted to see that it was wonderfully handled and articulated. It felt like a thesis statement for a PhD. Bravo. I will be describing and looking in the comment section for some movies that others feel handled mental health well.

@davidarundel6187 Жыл бұрын

I live in public housing in NZ . Many ethnicities , along with mental health issues from narcassisim , malignant hate speach , closeted gay males , who went trans , alcoholics , bi-polar , cancer - both active & remission , and the odd rare personality whom most everyone loves to hate & hate to love , Empaths , homophobes , racists , white & brown misogynistic racist supremists , meth users , pot dealers , and the freinenmys , PTSD , Asperger's , Autistic , high function Downs syndrome , renal issues , senior citizens , Arthritic , and others . Makes for an interesting life . Namaste 🙏💜💟💞💐

@cht2162 Жыл бұрын

Wow.

@rebeccadubarry8523 3 ай бұрын

What about "American psyco"?

@yea9725 19 күн бұрын

it's more of a commentary on masculinity than actual anti-social personality disorder

@miculp Жыл бұрын

Watch spanish french italian and other european movies, not american

@ryue65 3 ай бұрын

Betty Blue?

@Democratic_Idiocracy9833 4 ай бұрын

Not in this one

@michaelshannon9169 Ай бұрын

There's nothing interesting about mental illness. Movies need to heighten the melodrama of the illness so ppl will watch. As someone with depression I can assure any normie that's it's the most boring experience you can ever have.

@dimitravas6920 5 ай бұрын

😃😃😃😃😃

@MrTeks79 Жыл бұрын

I think i agree with you on most parts but coming to think about it the precursor to mental illness is sometimes or often vague so this is why movie makers suffer as to find a reason for this tragedy. The medical field suffers from lack of coherent knowledge about most mental disorders specifically the mechanisms behind it. I do not believe this "brain chemistry" hypothesis neither do they i think. I mean, a simple question would be, what is the reason for those dopamine and serotonin dysregulation after all? So many questions. On the other hand, i think movies like numb' depicted Gad and depersonalization with depressive features accurately in a charming easy to digest relatable way that made me think these ppl did their research, i even suspected Matthew Perry suffered from anxiety in his real life. The hours', one of my all time favorites, yes lacks the mechanics behind the illness but depicted depression with psychotic features so well that some scenes are ingrained in my memory yrs ago.

@rockabillymuffin 6 ай бұрын

im so happy that bojack horseman and crazy ex girlfriend exist. they arent movies, and theyre amazing.

@mustacheofgold6846 3 ай бұрын

Bojack is a very specific kind of depression. Namely, it's primarily focussed on defeatist depressed people, who have persistent depression their entire lives and who don't seem to be aware they even have an illness. It's technically accurate in how they react to their disorder, but it's faaaar from relatable to those who only experienced 1 or 2 episodes and actively worked to get help (instead of drowning themselves in drugs & alcohol and blaming the universe).

@wolfbenson Жыл бұрын

Can't disagree with anything you said here. I'm just wondering if movie goers are going to these movies because they care about the illness, just want to see a "freak show" or simply want to see a good movie and the character is simply one who is challenged in a way most of us can't imagine. My point is that, yer right, Hollywood cares more about the quality of the movie vs the science of the illness but then, that's the business they're in, isn't it. The movie Birdie about a guy in the army who thought he was a bird, had a ridiculous ending. Raging Bull, was useful to me once as I had to describe to police what a man threatening me was like (I was the therapist for a child and this man, not the father, thought everybody who had contact with the mother was sleeping with her). I have diagnosed dysthymic depression and I don't watch a movie to learn how to treat it. I do research. And, I don't do research to understand a good movie.

@stacyhaynes4006 3 ай бұрын

😂 Galaxy guest Im more like the lil cute handicapped alien that had galactic matter past its eyeballs revealing my beat down and death from my own humans. Way it is. Way it was.