Movies with a Psychiatric theme

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GATORANALYST

GATORANALYST

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Merry Xmas,
I'm putting together a compilation of films for the residents and a few attendings in my program. The intent is to watch a movie as that has some type of psychiatric theme and be able to discuss it afterwards-over much wine and apateeeezers,of course. Any area of psychiatry is fine eg. forensic(serial killers), interesting personality disorders, etc... It can even be a comedy eg. "What About Bob"...

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!:D

1)I'll start it off with "Girl Interrupted"
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Freedom Writers-helps to distinguish between real antisocial personality disorder and people unfairly perceived to be antisocial. It also deals with a lot of urban issues that we psychiatrists who tend to be from middle & higher class backgrounds don't understand. No one in the movie claimed to be depressed, but IMHO it shows several factors that can lead to childhood depression, and why simply just offering a pill is not a good solution in Child Psychiatry.

Watchmen-hasn't been made into a movie yet, but the book touched upon several important themes in psychiatry & clinical psychology such as Rorscach tests, Borderline Personality Disorder, festishes, impotence, mid life crisis, the Kitty Genovese incident....

Battlestar Galactica-the new show. Starbuck has Borderline PD. Several of the episodes that focus on her show her problems with it.

Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World: shows several people with Histrionic Disorder, especially the evil mother in law.

Bug: Very accurately depicts someone with Schizophrenia, and Folie a Deux.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers: doesn't show Caprgras Syndrome but shows I guess what it'd be like for someone who has it. The movie is based on the red scare of the 50s, which is also a useful tool because it shows how society can develop a group paranoia against a percieved enemy.

Saving Pvt Ryan-helps you to understand PTSD & survivor's guilt a bit better.

Traffic: good depiction of substance dependence issues

The HBO hooker documentaries: shows a demographic that psychiatric hospitals in urban settings will treat very often.

http://www.zurinstitute.com/movietherapy.html#eating
Abuse and Childhood Trauma:
A Thousand Acres
Cider House Rules
Closet Land
Drugstore Cowboy
Good Will Hunting
I Know My First Name is Steven
Nuts
Prince of Tides, The
Radio Flyer
Rounders
Sleepers
Something about Amelia
Sybil
Three Faces of Eve
Ulee's Gold
Ultimate Betrayal

Addictions:
28 Days
A Thousand Acres
Bar Fly
Boost, The
Clean and Sober
Days of Wine and Roses
Drugstore Cowboy
Ironweed
Lady Sings the Blues
Leaving Las Vegas
Morning After, The
My Name is Bill W.
Not My Kid
Panic in Needle Park
Postcards from the Edge
Requiem for a Dream
Sara T.: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic
Under the Influence
When a Man Loves a Woman

Aging:
About Schmidt
Dad
On Golden Pond
Something's Gotta Give
Space Cowboys

Anger and Foregiveness:
An Unfinished Life
Anger Management
Changing Lanes
Dolores Clairborne
Gandhi
Straight Story, The
Upside of Anger, The

Aspiration:
Billy Elliot
Gandhi
Pay It Forward
Whale Rider

Authentic Self:
Harold and Maude
My Life
Nell

Bipolar Disorder:
Mr. Jones
Vincent and Theo

Body Image:
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Real Women Have Curves
Shallow Hal

Communication:
See Relationships

Consumerism:
Far From Heaven
Pleasantville
Supersize Me
What's Love Got to Do With It?

Courage & Determination:
Little Buddha
Million Dollar Baby
Rocky

Death:
See Grief, Loss, Death & Transformation

Depression:
About Schmidt
Blue Sky
Frida
Ordinary People

Disability:
http://www.disabilityfilms.co.uk
This site presents a detailed list of 2,500 feature films that involve various disabilities. It is directed towards teachers, students and anyone who has an interest in how disability is represented in films. The films are listed in 15 categories and recommended films. Each category is split into Major and Minor films. Each film is either reviewed or includes a summary.
Dissociative Disorders:
Sybil
Three Faces Of Eve
Zelig

Domestic Violence and Rape:
Accused, The
Burning Bed, The
Closet Land
Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story
Extremities
Frankie and Johnnie
Men Don't Tell
Once Were Warriors
Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case
Rape of Richard Beck, The
She Said No
Sleeping with the Enemy
Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story
Thelma and Louise

Eating Disorders:
Eating
For the Love of Nancy
Fried Green Tomatoes
Karen Carpenter Story, The
Kate's Secret
What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Family Relationships:
See Relationships & Love

Grief, Loss, Death & Transformation:
Adam
Beaches
Dad
Dying Young
Enchantment
Frida
Ghost
In America
Mr. Holland's Opus
Shadowlands
Six Weeks
Sleepless in Seattle
SLC Punk
Sophie's Choice
Stranger in the Family
Steel Magnolias
Terms of Endearment

Human Spirit and Inspiration:
Dead Poets Society
Gandhi
Lord of the Rings
Million Dollar Baby
Piano, The
Schiendler's List

Inner Guidance, Dreams, Intuition:
Constant Gardner
Field of Dreams
Motorcycle Diaries
Piano, The
Places in the Heart
Star Wars

Mental Disorders (misc.):
Fatal Attraction
Hours, The
House of Cards

Mental Illness:
Don Juan De Marco
King of Hearts
One flew Over the ****oo's Nest

Mental ******ation:
Other Sister, The
Rain Man
What's Eating Gilbert Grape

OCD:
As Good as it Gets
Breaking the Waves
Matchstick Man

Pace of Life:
Groundhog Day
Multiplicity
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

Phobias:
Agoraphobia: Copy Cat
Germ-Phobia: As Good as it Gets

Prejudice (coping with):
Color Purple, The
Get on the Bus
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
In the Heat of the Night
Jungle Fever
Mississippi's Burning
Philadelphia
Ryan White Story, The
To Kill a Mockingbird
Relationships and Love:
A Walk on the Moon
Accidental Tourist, The
As Good as it Gets
Closer
Crimes of the Heart
Father of the Bride
Frankie and Johnnie
Gathering, The
Good Mother, The
Great Santini, The
High Fidelity
Hot Spells
Joy Luck Club
Memories of Me
Moonstruck
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Ordinary People
Parenthood
Philadelphia
Postcards From the Edge
Pretty Woman
Safe Passage
Sideways
Singles
Stanley and Iris
Story of Us, The
Soul Food
Steel Magnolias
Two Family House
Way We Were, The
War of the Roses
When Harry Met Sally

Retirement:
See Aging

Risk:
Apollo 13
Erin Brockovich
Full Monty, The
Sliding Doors

Sacrifice:
It's a Wonderful Life
Lord of the Rings
Sophie's Choice

Schizophrenia:
A Beautiful Mind
Clean Shaven
King of Hearts
Proof
Shine

Self-Esteem:
Gattaca
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Other Sister, The

Separation & Divorce:
Kramer vs. Kramer
Story of Us, The
Under the Tuscan Sun

Sexual Abuse:
A Thousand Acres
Cider House Rules
Dolores Clairborne
Mystic River
Sleepers

Sexuality:
Bliss
Kinsey
Working Girl

Spirituality and Religion:
Apostle, The
Contact
Resurrection

Spirituality and Spiritual Awareness:
City of Angels
It's a Wonderful Life
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Powder

Social Justice:
Angela's Ashes
Constant Gardner
Erin Brockovich
Hotel Rwanda
Motorcycle Diaries

Trauma:
See Abuse, War

Vocational Issues:
Erin Brockovich
Full Monty, The
Jerry Maguire
Patch Adams

War (Horrors of and Aftermath):
A Very Long Engagement
Black Hawk Down
Cold Mountain
Full Metal Jacket
Gone with the Wind
Pianist, The
Platoon
Saving Private Ryan

Willpower:
Cast Away
Horse Whisperer, The
Million Dollar Baby
Piano, The
Princess Bride, The
Click to expand...
 
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The Singing Detective with Robert Downey Jr. and Mel Gibson playing a patient and CL psychiatrist respectively.

Alfie (the original with Michael Caine, not the ****ty remake with Jude Law) for a portrait of narcissism.

Requiem for a Dream - a horrific portrait of addiction (don't watch it alone)
 
If you haven't seen "One Flew Over the ****oo's Nest", your education in Psychiatry and Popular Culture is severely lacking--and it's a good flick--AFI Top 100.

"Analyze This" and the aformentioned "What about Bob?" are great for a laugh--and discussions of countertransference and boundary violations!

"Spellbound" is an interesting Hitchcockian blend of psychoanalytic concepts and Dali-esque images. Plus, it's got Ingrid Bergman. :love: And Cary Grant. And did I say Ingrid Bergman? :oops:

I'm quite fond of "Pieces of April". A nice story of redemption and reconciliation in a dysfunctional family. (Katie Holmes, pre-Cruise, stars, and Patricia Clarkson won a Best Supporting Oscar playing her mother.) (Hey--Katie was in Singing Detective, too!)
 
Probably not what you're looking for, but the movie Joy Ride has some great psychiatry-related quotes, including

"You need to find...
a highly-qualified psychiatrist--
not a psychologist-- you're gonna need some drugs."

and

" Because I have something that's more powerful then your psychosis. It's called a volume knob, and the only thing I have to do to make you go away is to turn it counterclockwise. You got that? You copy that? "
----------------
If you're interested in dreams, sleepwalking, or REM sleep behavior disorder, you can't beat the Nightmare on Elm Street series
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Although I hate pretty much everything Robin Williams did after Mork and Mindy, and I didn't like how the movie blended Eastern and Christian ideas about the Afterlife, "What Dreams May Come" has an good portrayal of severe major depressive disorder.
 
Don't forget
David and Lisa (1962)
about a schizophrenic trying to find human contact, even love, in the midst of such an isolating disorder.
 
prozac nation hasn't been mentioned? (haven't seen it)
 
Whats that movie where theres a psychiatrist who takes care of a girl whos father was killed... and he finds out that a steriotypic movement that she's been making with her finger is i dont want to ruin the plotline....the number of a shipping crate
 
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howelljolly said:
Whats that movie where theres a psychiatrist who takes care of a girl whos father was killed... and he finds out that a steriotypic movement that she's been making with her finger is i dont want to ruin the plotline....the number of a shipping crate
Click to expand...

Don't Say a Word

Tom Wilkinson's portrayal of Bipolar DO in Michael Clayton is one of the most authentic I've seen in a movie.
 
when nietzche wept is a very cool movie.
based on a book by stanford psychiatrist irvin yalom.
it is a histrorical fiction shedding light on the origins of 'the talking cure' tying philosophy and psychiatry together with nietche, freud, etc.
if you're in to the interface between psychology and philosophy, check it out.
 
U4iA said:
when nietzche wept is a very cool movie.
based on a book by stanford psychiatrist irvin yalom.
it is a histrorical fiction shedding light on the origins of 'the talking cure' tying philosophy and psychiatry together with nietche, freud, etc.
if you're in to the interface between psychology and philosophy, check it out.
Click to expand...

sounds very cool, thanks for hte tip.
 
High Anxiety, a Mel Brooks classic. Also, Vertigo, the Hitchcock movie that it spoofs.
 
Karla (2005) -- I had never heard of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka (a.k.a. “The Ken and Barbie Killers”) before I saw this movie. I bought it on DVD because I read somewhere that politicians in Canada tried to have the movie banned when it first came out, so I figured it must be good. The movie is very disturbing (especially since the events depicted in it actually happened), and it stayed on my mind for several days after I watched it.
 
Any of the reality documentaries on demographics that often times served by mental health workers.

E.g. HBO did some very good documentaries on heroin addicts, prostitutes, an Iraq ER, among a few other demographics where people are often in need of psychiatri services. Unfortunately I've been having a hard time trying to find them on DVD, though they may be On Demand.

This really helps one to understand & empathize.
 
Of course, there is also Dr. Strangelove. General Jack D. Ripper's "purity of essence" is a big old paranoid delusion that starts armageddon.
 
billypilgrim37 said:
Because anyone that can stand any M Knight Shamalyan movie should be committed and declared dangerous to society?

Seriously, the things I would like to do to that man for his atrocities against film would have me at Whopper's facility for years...
Click to expand...

That's racism.
 
What a useful list! What do ya'll think about sticky-ing this, so we can catch up on some of these films?
 
So "Reign Over me" is a great one

also, "The Wackness" is amazing. Great portrayal of a psychiatrist who is actually bipolar. Little known movie that came out a few months ago, but awesome.
 
billypilgrim37 said:
I'm pretty sure you're referencing something funny, but I can't quite place it...
Click to expand...

I was actually being kinda serious. You don't like M. Night because you don't understand how easterners and particularly Indians view the world. What you call a disgrace is to us just how we think. It's fine to not enjoy his work yourself, but to say, in an almost objective manner that he has committed atrocities against all of film shows a high degree of prejudice.

Do you think my entire culture is an atrocity too?
 
masterofmonkeys said:
It's fine to not enjoy his work yourself, but to say, in an almost objective manner that he has committed atrocities against all of film shows a high degree of prejudice.
Click to expand...

Or it shows I have a literature degree?

You made so many assumptions there, it made my head explode.

masterofmonkeys said:
Do you think my entire culture is an atrocity too?
Click to expand...

That depends which culture you mean:

If you mean your Indian culture, then no.

If you mean your culture of Ivy league grads who like lousy movies, well, of course!

And, yes, THAT's a joke.
 
Last edited:
I just ordered Martin and Orloff, but that's more because I love UCB and less for it's psych setting. :)
 
What about "A Beautiful Mind" ?

I've heard its biographically inaccurate and probaly medically inaccurate but might be worth watching.

For those who don't know its about John Nash (nobel prize in economics for game theory) and his schizophrenia.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Also "Memento" is a movie about anterograde amnesia (I dont know if that falls into psych or neurology or something else entirely.)

Even if anterograde amnesia isnt psych its still a really good movie (pretty confusing though, so good to watch with several people to help figure it out)
 
also from wiki about memento


Many medical experts have cited Memento as one of the most realistic and accurate depictions of anterograde amnesia in any motion picture. Caltech neuroscientist Christof Koch called Memento "the most accurate portrayal of the different memory systems in the popular media,"[47] while physician Esther M. Sternberg, Director of the Integrative Neural Immune Program at the National Institute of Mental Health identified the film as "close to a perfect exploration of the neurobiology of memory."[48] Writing in the journal Science, Sternberg concludes: "This thought-provoking thriller is the kind of movie that keeps reverberating in the viewer's mind, and each iteration makes one examine preconceived notions in a different light. Memento is a movie for anyone interested in the workings of memory and, indeed, in what it is that makes our own reality."[49]
 
surftheiop said:
also from wiki about memento


Many medical experts have cited Memento as one of the most realistic and accurate depictions of anterograde amnesia in any motion picture. Caltech neuroscientist Christof Koch called Memento "the most accurate portrayal of the different memory systems in the popular media,"[47] while physician Esther M. Sternberg, Director of the Integrative Neural Immune Program at the National Institute of Mental Health identified the film as "close to a perfect exploration of the neurobiology of memory."[48] Writing in the journal Science, Sternberg concludes: "This thought-provoking thriller is the kind of movie that keeps reverberating in the viewer's mind, and each iteration makes one examine preconceived notions in a different light. Memento is a movie for anyone interested in the workings of memory and, indeed, in what it is that makes our own reality."[49]
Click to expand...

If really he has anterograde amnesia.... how can he know that he has "this condition where [he] cant make new memories"?

You sure it isnt an "insanity defense" for killing people?
 
I prefer 50 first dates as an exploration of anterograde amnesia. Among other things.

Drew Barrymore is just insanely cute (not necessarily hot) for one thing.

Also, any movie with Woody Allen in it - Cluster C and anxiety disorders
 
masterofmonkeys said:
I prefer 50 first dates as an exploration of anterograde amnesia. Among other things.

Drew Barrymore is just insanely cute (not necessarily hot) for one thing.

Also, any movie with Woody Allen in it - Cluster C and anxiety disorders
Click to expand...

For the Drew Barrymore fans, Mad Love may be a good choice.
 
howelljolly said:
If really he has anterograde amnesia.... how can he know that he has "this condition where [he] cant make new memories"?

You sure it isnt an "insanity defense" for killing people?
Click to expand...

good question, maybe he tatooed it to himself with all that other stuff.
 
I vote for Woody Allen's stuff!
 
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