25 Compelling Films Addressing Mental Health that Deserve Your Attention

While the conversation surrounding mental illnesses has evolved substantially and become more accessible, understanding and communicating mental troubles can still be difficult.  

Whether you want to understand mental illness better or find something comforting, movies about mental disorders can be immensely impactful. 

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

The main character is a math genius diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, meaning he experiences dramatic splits from reality. It looks at how mental illnesses like this are treated and how people experience them. 

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Silver Linings Playbook is a brilliant movie that tackles multiple mental illnesses. One character is bipolar, another suffers from borderline personality disorder, and one has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). 

Welcome to Me (2014)

Starring Kristen Wiig as a woman with borderline personality disorder who wins the lottery, the movie shows what someone with a mental illness may do with unlimited resources. 

Melancholia (2011)

Melancholia is a beautifully made apocalypse movie that highlights how things look differently to people struggling with a mental illness, in this case, depression.  

The Whale (2022)

The main character in The Whale has a binge eating disorder, causing him to eat everything without stopping. The movie tackles tough topics concerning depression, abuse, suicide, and more. 

Goodwill Hunting (1997)

Will suffers from reactive attachment disorder caused by abuse and PTSD. The movie is a harrowing story about overcoming such disorders and moving on in life. 

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