20+ Movies That Talk About Mental Disorders Clearly And Realistically Worth Checking Out

In Brazil we have no less than 23 million people who suffer from some type of mental disorder. Of this population, 5 million suffer from severe and/or chronic mental illness and just over 11 million suffer from depression. Serious diseases that are often not effectively treated due to lack of information or prejudice.

A good number of patients who have a disorder do not seek help until the situation is unsustainable. Many do not seek treatment because this idea is loaded with prejudice. An alternative way to inform, denounce and reveal aspects of this difficult subject is art — and cinema has been dealing with the subject of mental health, its difficulties, dilemmas, abuses and importance in several works.

O awesome.club brings in this list a series of cinema masterpieces that realistically deal with the importance of treating mental illness with seriousness and empathy. Leaving aside stereotypes and discrimination in relation to these disorders, focusing on the health and well-being of patients.

The film, a drama released in 2000, Requiem for a Dream brings together 4 stories to incite the debate on the abuse of licit and illicit drugs, and the consequences of their use on the individual’s health. Divided into 4 narratives, as if they were seasons, the plot reports the exorbitant use of 4 different drugs — and the devastation that chemical dependence can bring.

A 1974 film by director John Cassavetes tells the story of Mabel, a woman who has emotional and mental problems. After spending 6 months in the hospital, Mabel realizes how stigmatized her return from the clinic has been, especially in her own family. The film highlights how much society is prejudiced towards people who undergo psychiatric treatment.

This 1975 film, which was based on the book of the same name by writer Ken Kesey, is a classic of the genre and the plot tells of the prisoner Randall who has the idea of ​​pretending to be mentally ill to avoid going to an ordinary prison. He is then sent to a prison hospital and begins to befriend in an attempt to escape. The film shows the harsh reality inside some psychiatric institutions of the time.

The 2014 Brazilian film portrays the story of Mariana, a talented chef who has a mother who always says she can’t do anything right. As a result, the protagonist finds it difficult to believe in herself. Mariana then meets Caio, who gives her the strength to follow her dreams. A film that emphasizes the consequences of narcissistic parents in raising insecure and needy children.

This is an American thriller film, released in 2013, that shows how far a person with psychopathy can go. Andy’s parents keep him isolated because of his illness, until Maryann moves into the neighborhood and befriends the boy. She secretly visits the boy after his mother’s ban, but the girl discovers a terrible family secret.

This film is a biographical drama about the life of mathematician John Nash. The work shows Nash’s genius with numbers, but it also truly portrays his struggle with depression and the problems caused by the outbreaks resulting from schizophrenia. After many hospitalizations, he tries to have a normal life, despite hallucinations and for denying drug treatment for the disease.

This film, which mixes suspense and drama, tells of an FBI agent, Clarice Starling, who asks for the help of a cannibal killer to understand how another serial killer named Buffalo Bill thinks. Hannibal Lecter is an intelligent and manipulative criminal who knows how to create situations to get what he wants: escape from prison. Clarice ends up involved in this murderer’s mind, in this beautiful psychological plot.

This 1990 American film is based on the book by neurosurgeon Oliver Sacks. It depicts neurologist Malcon Sayer’s experience with a new medication to treat patients who were considered incurable because they had been in a catatonic state for a long time. His treatment has a positive effect at first, but he realizes that not everything goes as he would like.

Another beautiful biopic that is based on the life of pianist David Helfgott. This excellent Australian artist spent his whole life dealing with his mental health (schizoaffective disorder), being hospitalized several times in psychiatric hospitals, without much success. The work also portrays a difficult childhood because of a domineering, tyrannical and repressive father who pressured him to be a perfect artist.

It is a dramatic film that tells the story of Sam, a man with an intellectual disability who has a relationship with a woman who becomes pregnant and, after giving birth, gives her daughter to him to take care of. Despite his disability, he fulfills the role very well, along with his friends. But at school, his daughter ends up being discriminated against and this draws the attention of a social worker, who thinks it’s better that he give her up for adoption.

This dramatic film tells of young Will, a troubled boy, who suffers from bipolar disorder and who works as a cleaning assistant at a university. He reveals himself with above-average intelligence when solving a math question proposed by a teacher. The boy is forced to go to therapy and ends up meeting the analyst Sean, who helps him understand life and deal with his temper problems.

This 2016 Brazilian biographical feature film depicts the struggle of psychiatrist Nise da Silveira to change the way the mentally ill were treated in the 1950s. She refuses to use things like electroshock and lobotomy as a therapeutic method. Nise, then, joins occupational therapy to revolutionize the treatment of these patients, using canvas, brushes, paints and a lot of affection.

This 2004 thriller tells the story of Kelly, a mother who is grieving the death of her 8-year-old son, which occurred in a plane crash. She decides to see a psychiatrist, but is surprised to hear from Dr. Munce that her child never existed and that it is a hallucination linked to an abortion. Kelly ends up meeting a father who lives the same drama as her and teams up with him to prove Sam’s existence.

A 2010 film about Cara, a dedicated psychiatrist who works trying to decipher diagnoses of multiple personality syndrome. The professional questions this pathology until she meets Adam, a criminal with mental problems who defies everything she believes in the field of psychiatry. The meeting between the two poignantly shakes the doctor’s personal and professional life.

This 2015 feature talks about the routine of Christine, a woman who suffers from amnesia and doesn’t remember anything that happened in the last two decades. She lives with her husband Ben, who takes it upon himself to remind her every day about her life. At the same time, she has therapy with Dr. Nasch who tries to help her with her memories, but over time Christine begins to realize that reality is very different from what she believed.

A masterpiece that tells the drama of Ellen, a young woman dealing with a serious illness: anorexia. Her hope reignites when he encounters Dr. William Beckham, who tries to give her directions in search of a cure for the disease. However, the challenge is to trust a doctor with very different methods, but who promises her a return to a normal life. A film with strong scenes and with a very realistic approach.

An intriguing thriller film, starring actors Elijah Wood and Macaulay Culkin, deals with the drama passed by Mark who has to live with his aunt after the death of his mother. In coexistence he ends up discovering that his cousin Henry has been trying to kill his sister and plans to kill his own mother. But how will Mark manage to convince his aunt that her beloved and underhanded son is a psychopath?

A beautiful film from the 90’s that deals with domestic violence and psychopathy problems. Sara has been married for 4 years to Martin, who for others is a loving husband, but at home he is an aggressive and controlling man. Tired of this routine of fear and pain, she simulates her own death and flees to another city with a false identity. Martin suspects she is alive and tries to find her whereabouts.

This is a film that treats Bill Porter’s life with the lightness it deserves. Bill is a man who has cerebral palsy and who has the support of his mother to fulfill his dream of working as a cosmetics salesman. Although the owner of the company doesn’t believe in his potential, Bill chooses the worst route and surprises him. He manages to sell for more than 40 years on a daily journey of more than 16 km.

A beautiful work directed by Lasse Hallstrom, which tells the drama of Gilbert Grape. He is a country boy who becomes the head of the family after his father’s suicide. In the house also live her two sisters, her autistic brother Arnie and mother Bonni, who became obese and depressed after being widowed. But a city girl arrives to show Gilbert that dreams can come true.

This film was based on the fiction book that tells the story of the mother of a boy who committed mass murder at the school where he studied. A woman who tries to work through the pain of having a murderous child and tries to understand where she went wrong. A sad and strong movie that shows how a bad upbringing of children can seriously damage the psychological of an adult person in the future.

This film tells the story of Sybil, a girl who suffers from dissociative personality disorder, as a result of her childhood abuse. A strong narrative that shows the “various people” within the same woman. In it there were a total of 16 distinct personalities who took turns. The psychoanalyst, Cornelia is able to diagnose the young woman’s problem and is willing to help.

This film, released in 1992, was quite successful at the time for addressing the madness of a woman maddened by rage. Peyton, the wife of a doctor accused of assault, loses her husband who commits suicide, and the baby she was expecting due to a miscarriage, because of a lawsuit brought by Claire Bartel. Peyton then goes crazy and starts planning revenge, and to put her plan into action she applies to be the Bartels’ nanny. In the house she plays charm for her husband,…