Mental illness & neuropsychiatric disorders
by Ida_Andersson | created - 01 Jun 2011 | updated - 5 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 987,712 | Gross: $170.74M
Schizophrenia
2. Donnie Darko (2001)
R | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne
Votes: 850,568 | Gross: $1.48M
Schizophrenia
3. Black Swan (2010)
R | 108 min | Drama, Thriller
Nina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder
Votes: 825,450 | Gross: $106.95M
Psychosis, neurosis, paranoia
4. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
R | 133 min | Drama
In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco
Votes: 1,073,111 | Gross: $112.00M
Patient rights at a mental institution.
5. Girl, Interrupted (1999)
R | 127 min | Biography, Drama
A directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy
Votes: 211,533 | Gross: $28.87M
Borderline Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, Eating Disorder, Sociopath
6. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006)
Not Rated | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A girl who thinks she is a combat cyborg checks into a mental hospital, where she encounters other psychotics. Eventually, she falls for a man who thinks he can steal people's souls.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Lim Soo-jung, Rain, Park Byeong-eun, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 25,918
Psychosis
7. Harold and Maude (1971)
PG | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.
Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack
Votes: 81,881
Depression, Death Obsession, Psychoanalysis
8. United States of Tara (2009–2011)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A woman struggles to find a balance between her dissociative identity disorder and raising a dysfunctional family.
Stars: Toni Collette, John Corbett, Rosemarie DeWitt, Keir Gilchrist
Votes: 25,197
Dissociative identity disorder
9. The Experiment (2001)
R | 120 min | Drama, Thriller
For two weeks, 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards in a prison. The "prisoners" have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the "guards" are told to retain order without using physical violence.
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel | Stars: Moritz Bleibtreu, Christian Berkel, Oliver Stokowski, Wotan Wilke Möhring
Votes: 96,127 | Gross: $0.14M
There is a new American version of this German film coming up. It's planned to be finished during 2011, simply titled "The Stanford prison experiment".
Plot keywords: Mental Abuse, Claustrophobia, Anxiety, Panic Attack
10. The Number 23 (2007)
R | 98 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Walter Sparrow becomes obsessed with a novel that he believes was written about him, as more and more similarities between himself and his literary alter ego seem to arise.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen, Logan Lerman, Danny Huston
Votes: 212,717 | Gross: $35.19M
11. Starved (2005)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
A comedic look at a support group with eating disorders.
Stars: Eric Schaeffer, Laura Benanti, Sterling K. Brown, Del Pentecost
Votes: 519
Anorexia, bulimia, overeating
12. Snow Cake (2006)
Not Rated | 112 min | Drama, Romance
A drama focused on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman and a man who is traumatized after a fatal car accident.
Director: Marc Evans | Stars: Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Hampshire
Votes: 13,279 | Gross: $0.03M
Autism, Depression
13. Temple Grandin (2010 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 107 min | Biography, Drama
A biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry.
Director: Mick Jackson | Stars: Claire Danes, Julia Ormond, David Strathairn, Catherine O'Hara
Votes: 32,597
Asperger's syndrome
14. Manic (2001)
R | 100 min | Drama
After attacking another player with a bat during baseball at school, Lyle's sent to the psych ward. He meets other teenagers with problems. Will group therapy help?
Director: Jordan Melamed | Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Bacall, Zooey Deschanel, Don Cheadle
Votes: 10,042 | Gross: $0.07M
Very intense movie about teenagers in a psych ward.
15. Lie to Me (2009–2011)
TV-14 | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
About Cal Lightman, the world's leading deception expert who studies facial expressions and involuntary body language to expose the truth behind the lies.
Stars: Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines, Monica Raymund
Votes: 127,934
Not about mental illness, but it has a lot to do with psychology. About a team solving crimes by studying micro expressions.
16. Mozart and the Whale (2005)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A love story between two savants with Asperger's syndrome, a kind of autism, whose conditions sabotage their budding relationship.
Director: Petter Næss | Stars: Josh Hartnett, Radha Mitchell, Gary Cole, Sheila Kelley
Votes: 9,297 | Gross: $0.04M
Asperger´s syndrome, savantism, obsessive compulsive disorder
17. As Good as It Gets (1997)
PG-13 | 139 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A single mother and waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.
Director: James L. Brooks | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Votes: 318,641 | Gross: $148.48M
Obsessive compulsive disorder, germaphobia.
18. Mental (2009)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama
The psychiatrist seeking to save his sister as well his patients while using any means necessary.
Stars: Chris Vance, Jacqueline McKenzie, Marisa Ramirez, Derek Webster
Votes: 2,419
The therapist version of House. Only made it through for one season.
19. Running with Scissors (2006)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Drama
A teenage boy comes of age in the 1970's, sent by his neurotic, pretentious mother to live with a jolly, vulgar psychiatrist and his eccentric extended family.
Director: Ryan Murphy | Stars: Joseph Cross, Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Gwyneth Paltrow
Votes: 23,171 | Gross: $6.75M
Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Suicidal Thought
20. Benny & Joon (1993)
PG | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A mentally ill young woman finds her love in an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik | Stars: Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn, Julianne Moore
Votes: 62,111 | Gross: $23.20M
Schizophrenia, Psychoanalysis
21. K-PAX (2001)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
PROT is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a faraway planet named K-PAX. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.
Director: Iain Softley | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack, Alfre Woodard
Votes: 193,105 | Gross: $50.34M
Schizophrenia, Catatonia, Photophobia
22. Six Feet Under (2001–2005)
TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
A chronicle of the lives of a dysfunctional family who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles.
Stars: Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose
Votes: 149,579
Mental illness is not the main theme, but there are characters suffering from bipolar disorder, depression and sex addiction. And of course, there's a lot of grieving people.
23. Frankie & Alice (2010)
R | 101 min | Biography, Drama
A drama centered on a go-go dancer with multiple personality disorder who struggles to remain her true self and begins working with a psychotherapist to uncover the mystery of the inner ghosts that haunt her.
Director: Geoffrey Sax | Stars: Halle Berry, Stellan Skarsgård, Phylicia Rashad, Chandra Wilson
Votes: 5,848 | Gross: $0.69M
Multiple personality disorder. Based on a true story.
24. Huff (2004–2006)
TV-MA | 55 min | Comedy, Drama
Psychiatrist Craig Huffstodt (Azaria) experiences his own midlife crisis.
Stars: Hank Azaria, Paget Brewster, Anton Yelchin, Blythe Danner
Votes: 3,636
Not mentioned: Huff has a schizophrenic brother, that he tries to take care of.
25. Fearless (1993)
R | 122 min | Drama, Thriller
A man's personality is dramatically changed after surviving a major airline crash.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini, Rosie Perez, Tom Hulce
Votes: 24,571 | Gross: $7.00M
Trauma
26. Shine (1996)
PG-13 | 105 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Pianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.
Director: Scott Hicks | Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd
Votes: 56,731 | Gross: $35.81M
Schizophrenia
27. Proof (2005)
PG-13 | 100 min | Drama, Mystery
The daughter of a brilliant but mentally disturbed mathematician, recently deceased, tries to come to grips with her possible inheritance: his insanity. Complicating matters are one of her father's ex-students, who wants to search through his papers, and her estranged sister, who shows up to help settle his affairs.
Director: John Madden | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis, Jake Gyllenhaal
Votes: 46,326 | Gross: $7.52M
Schizophrenia
28. Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive (2006 TV Movie)
120 min | Documentary
Stephen Fry presents this documentary exploring the disease of manic depression; a little understood but potentially devastating condition affecting an estimated two percent of the ... See full summary »
Director: Ross Wilson | Stars: Stephen Fry, Andy Behrman, Jo Brand, Jo Crocker
Votes: 1,258
Bipolar disorder
29. Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
R | 121 min | Drama, Thriller
Haunted by the patients he failed to save, a monumentally burned-out Manhattan ambulance paramedic fights to maintain his sanity over three increasingly turbulent nights.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames
Votes: 76,105 | Gross: $16.64M
Mental exhaustion
30. Funny Games (2007)
R | 111 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Two psychopathic young men take a family hostage in their cabin.
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet
Votes: 103,888 | Gross: $1.29M
I'm trying to avoid thrillers and horror movies, they're usually not very correct or fair when it comes to mental illness. I think this one is different.
Plot keywords: Sociopath, psychological torture
31. It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)
PG-13 | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A clinically-depressed teenager gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward.
Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck | Stars: Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, Dana DeVestern
Votes: 148,277 | Gross: $6.35M
Suicidal boy goes to psych ward.
32. The Beaver (2011)
PG-13 | 91 min | Drama
A troubled husband and executive adopts a beaver hand-puppet as his sole means of communication.
Director: Jodie Foster | Stars: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Cherry Jones
Votes: 50,761 | Gross: $0.97M
Depression and some kind of identity confusion.
33. On the Inside (I) (2011)
R | 95 min | Drama, Thriller
A decent but troubled young man is sent to a psychiatric institution for the criminally insane and soon finds himself in a fight for his life battling ghosts inside his head and very real enemies all around him.
Director: D.W. Brown | Stars: Nick Stahl, Dash Mihok, Olivia Wilde, Pruitt Taylor Vince
Votes: 2,166
"The inside" in this case is an institution for the criminally insane.
34. Shutter Island (2010)
R | 138 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 1,458,254 | Gross: $128.01M
Plot keywords: Mental Institution, Criminally Insane, Schizophrenia, Psychological Trauma, Psychotherapist, Psychotropic Medication vs Psychotherapy
35. Simple Simon (I) (2010)
85 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A younger brother with Aspergers syndrome helps his older brother find a girlfriend.
Director: Andreas Öhman | Stars: Bill Skarsgård, Martin Wallström, Cecilia Forss, Sofie Hamilton
Votes: 10,172
Asperger's syndrome.
36. Dead by Monday (2001)
94 min | Comedy
Dead by Monday is a darkly comic tale of love and death... but not necessarily in that order. Julie is a sweet, vulnerable young woman who lacks confidence and is obsessed with the memory ... See full summary »
Director: Curt Truninger | Stars: Helen Baxendale, Tim Dutton, Guylaine St-Onge, Susan Haskell
Votes: 240
Plot keywords: Suicide Attempt, Suicide Pact
37. Ben X (2007)
Not Rated | 93 min | Drama, Thriller
As an alternative to getting bullied at school, an autistic teenager retreats into the world of online role-playing games.
Director: Nic Balthazar | Stars: Marijke Pinoy, Greg Timmermans, Cesar De Sutter, Gilles De Schryver
Votes: 19,381 | Gross: $0.00M
Asperger´s syndrome
38. Matchstick Men (2003)
PG-13 | 116 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A phobic con artist and his protégé are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the former's teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Alison Lohman, Sam Rockwell, Bruce Altman
Votes: 138,382 | Gross: $36.91M
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Agoraphobia, Germophobe,
39. Adam (I) (2009)
PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Adam, a lonely man with Asperger's Syndrome, develops a relationship with his upstairs neighbor, Beth.
Director: Max Mayer | Stars: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving
Votes: 35,783 | Gross: $2.28M
Asperger's syndrome
40. Welcome to the N.H.K. (2006)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
This surreal dramedy follows Satou Tatsuhiro as he attempts to escape the evil machinations of the NHK.
Stars: Yutaka Koizumi, Yui Makino, Michael C. Pizzuto, Monica Rial
Votes: 7,953
Main character suffers from depression and agoraphobia.
41. The Black Balloon (2008)
PG-13 | 97 min | Drama, Romance
All Thomas wants is a normal adolescence but his autistic brother, Charlie, thwarts his every opportunity. Will Thomas, with the help of his girlfriend, Jackie, accept his brother?
Director: Elissa Down | Stars: Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Toni Collette, Erik Thomson
Votes: 9,237 | Gross: $0.09M
Autism
42. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
PG-13 | 129 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery
A nine-year-old amateur inventor, Francophile, and pacifist searches New York City for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Director: Stephen Daldry | Stars: Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow
Votes: 105,191 | Gross: $31.85M
43. King of California (2007)
PG-13 | 93 min | Comedy, Drama
An unstable dad who after getting out of a mental institution tries to convince his daughter that there's Spanish gold buried somewhere under suburbia.
Director: M. Cahill | Stars: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood, Willis Burks II, Laura Kachergus
Votes: 23,672 | Gross: $0.26M
44. Hotel (2013)
97 min | Drama
Erika has it all: a good job, lots of friends and a secure relationship. Until the day it all falls apart. Suddenly this perfect life means nothing, and the feelings she once was able to ... See full summary »
Director: Lisa Langseth | Stars: Alicia Vikander, David Dencik, Anna Bjelkerud, Mira Eklund
Votes: 2,595
45. A Dangerous Method (2011)
R | 99 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A look at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel
Votes: 108,397 | Gross: $5.70M
46. A Summer in the Cage (2007)
Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary
"A Summer in the Cage" is filmmaker Ben Selkow's feature-length documentary chronicling his friend Sam's battle with manic-depressive illness, also known as bipolar disorder. The film ... See full summary »
Director: Ben Selkow
Votes: 89
Bipolar disorder
47. Black Box (2014)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama
Catherine Black, a famed neuroscientist with a job at the Center for Neurological Research and Treatment, struggles with mental illness. However, this is just one of the many secrets she hides from her fiancé and her family.
Stars: Kelly Reilly, Ditch Davey, David Ajala, Ali Wong
Votes: 3,964
Bipolar disorder
48. Borderline (2008)
110 min | Drama
An erotic drama about a woman facing her 30th birthday who looks back at her life growing-up with her grandmother, crazy mother and her over-indulgence with men, sex and alcohol.
Director: Lyne Charlebois | Stars: Isabelle Blais, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Angèle Coutu, Sylvie Drapeau
Votes: 1,243
49. Cake (II) (2014)
R | 102 min | Drama
The acerbic, hilarious Claire Bennett becomes fascinated by the suicide of a woman in her chronic pain support group. As she uncovers the details of Nina's suicide and develops a poignant relationship with Nina's husband, she also grapples with her own, very raw personal tragedy.
Director: Daniel Barnz | Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, Anna Kendrick, Sam Worthington
Votes: 38,891 | Gross: $1.87M
Depression
50. Gravity (2010)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
Black comedy about a group of eccentric individuals in an out-patient program for suicide survivors.
Stars: Krysten Ritter, Ivan Sergei, Eric Schaeffer, Rachel Hunter
Votes: 1,076
51. De Gales hus (2008)
102 min | Drama
At the Varden Psychiatric Clinic, the attendants are mad and the inmates are sane. Here is found life in all its different faces. As 24-year-old Aina meets the insane gang, they bring back her lust for life.
Director: Eva Isaksen | Stars: Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Thorbjørn Harr, Fridtjov Såheim, Rolf Kristian Larsen
Votes: 644
52. Mr. Jones (1993)
R | 114 min | Drama, Romance
After being arrested during a manic episode, a man who suffers from bipolar disorder is treated by a psychiatrist who begins to develop romantic feelings towards him.
Directors: Mike Figgis, Jon Amiel | Stars: Richard Gere, Lena Olin, Anne Bancroft, Tom Irwin
Votes: 7,661 | Gross: $8.32M
53. My Name Is Khan (2010)
PG-13 | 165 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
An Indian Muslim man with Asperger's syndrome takes a challenge to speak to the President of the United States seriously and embarks on a cross-country journey.
Director: Karan Johar | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Sheetal Menon, Katie Amanda Keane
Votes: 116,431 | Gross: $4.02M
54. Perception (2012–2015)
TV-14 | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Dr. Daniel Pierce is an eccentric neuropsychiatrist who uses his unique outlook to help the federal government solve complex criminal cases.
Stars: Eric McCormack, Rachael Leigh Cook, Kelly Rowan, Arjay Smith
Votes: 22,864
55. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
R | 122 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver
Votes: 743,133 | Gross: $132.09M
56.
Homeland (2011–2020)
Episode:
The Vest
(2011)
TV-MA | 54 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Saul finds Carrie hospitalized and manic, but realizes her chaotic theories have merit; before his congressional campaign begins, Brody takes his family on a weekend trip to Gettysburg.
Director: Clark Johnson | Stars: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin, David Harewood
Votes: 3,452
57. Girl Most Likely (2012)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy
A failed New York playwright awkwardly navigates the transition from Next Big Thing to Last Year's News.
Directors: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini | Stars: Kristen Wiig, Annette Bening, Matt Dillon, Darren Criss
Votes: 16,034 | Gross: $1.38M
58. Infinitely Polar Bear (2014)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A father struggling with bipolar disorder tries to win back his wife by attempting to take full responsibility of their two young, spirited daughters, who don't make the overwhelming task any easier.
Director: Maya Forbes | Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Imogene Wolodarsky, Ashley Aufderheide
Votes: 17,046 | Gross: $1.43M
59. The Accountant (2016)
R | 128 min | Action, Crime, Drama
As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities, and the body count starts to rise.
Director: Gavin O'Connor | Stars: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal
Votes: 322,199 | Gross: $86.26M
60. Horse Girl (I) (2020)
R | 103 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Sarah, a socially isolated woman with a fondness for arts and crafts, horses, and supernatural crime shows finds her increasingly lucid dreams trickling into her waking life.
Director: Jeff Baena | Stars: Alison Brie, Molly Shannon, Goldenite, Stella Chestnut
Votes: 20,157
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