This paper involves evaluating a movie (see list below ) that portrays mental illness for its accuracy. discuss the movie and the disorder citing at least four sources.

Anxiety/Stress Disorders

As Good As it Gets (1996) Comedy

A writer with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has his life turned upside down when he is entrusted to care for his homosexual neighbor's dog and the only waitress that can tolerate him must quit her job to take care of her ill son.

Aviator (2004) Drama

I film depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career portrays what appear to be symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Copycat (1996)

This film stars Sigourney Weaver as a forensic psychologist who develops panic disorder and agoraphobia as the result of an assault. Her help is needed to capture a psychopath who is copying the crimes of renowned serial killers.

Deer Hunter (1978) Drama/Thriller Three friends fight in the Vietnam War, fall in the hands of the Vietcong and are brought to a prison camp in which they are forced to play Russian roulette against each other. Some of the characters experience the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dirty filthy love (2004) Drama/Comedy A man's life falls apart as a result of his affliction with obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette's syndrome

Don't Say a Word (2001) Drama

A prominent psychiatrist Nathan Conrad (Michael Douglas) is invited to examine a disturbed young woman named Elisabeth (Brittany Murphy). The character fakes many disorders but is probably experiencing from post-traumatic stress disorder

Finding Nemo (2003) Animation Adventure Comedy

After Marlin's son, Nemo is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home. Marlin may have post-traumatic stress disorder.

Fearless (1993) Drama

Jeff Bridges stars in an interesting film that portrays some of the symptoms of anxiety in airline crash survivors. The character probably experiences post-traumatic stress disorder.

In Country (1989) Drama

Samantha Hughes, a teenaged Kentucky girl, never knew her father, who died in Vietnam before her birth lives with her uncle Emmett, who also served in Vietnam and may have posttraumatic stress disorder.

Stop Loss (2008) Drama

A veteran soldier returns from his completed tour of duty in Iraq, only to find his life turned Updated Spring 2023 upside down when he is ordered to return to field duty by the Army. A character appears to show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Vertigo (1958) Thriller

Hitchcock film in which Jimmy Stewart plays a character who portrays phobic disorder, specifically a fear of heights. He attempts a self-styled behavior modification program early in the film without success.

The War (1994)

This film explores the summer of 1970, when a returning soldier (Kevin Costner) struggles with his emotional and psychological scars including posttraumatic stress disorder.

Dissociative Disorders

Frankie & Alice (2014) Drama

A go-go dancer is diagnosed with a dissociative identity disorder. I

dentity (2003) Mystery, Thriller

Stranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rain-storm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they're being killed off one by one. A character shows symptoms of dissociative identity disorder.

K-Pax (2001) Drama Mystery Sci-Fi

Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from another planet. The disorder may be Dissociative Fugue.

M*A*S*H, Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen (1983) Comedy/Drama

Hawkeye experiences Dissociative Amnesia after experiencing a traumatic event. He recovers after going through psychotherapy.

Mr. Brooks (2007) Crime | Drama | Mystery

A psychological thriller about a man who is sometimes controlled by his murder-and-mayhemloving alter ego. He appears to have dissociative identity disorder.

Nurse Betty (2000) Comedy

A waitress with dreams of becoming a nurse develops what may be dissociative fugue after seeing her husband murdered. Becoming delusional from shock, she becomes convinced that she is the former fiance of her soap opera idol (This movie contains violently graphic scenes).

Peacock (2010) Drama | Thriller

A train accident in rural Nebraska gradually unveils a mystery involving the town's bank clerk. A character appears to have dissociative identity disorder.

Secret Window (2004) Mystery, Thriller

A writer is accused for plagiarism by a strange man, who then starts haunting him for "justice." A character shows symptoms of dissociative identity disorder.

Sybil (1976) Drama

The true story of a young woman named Sybil, whose childhood was so harrowing to her that she developed at least 13 different personalities. She is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, formally known as Multiple Personality Disorder.

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) Drama

This is an adaptation of a Tennessee Williams story about dissociative amnesia in a woman who witnessed her cousin's death.

Three Faces of Eve, The (1957) Drama

Joanne Woodward won an Academy Award for her portrayal of a woman who experiences dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder.

Somatoform Disorders

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) Comedy/Drama

Woody Allen is a man who was formerly married to Mia Farrow who spends his days worrying about brain tumors, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. The character may experience hypochondriasis.

Mood Disorders

Me Before You (2016) Drama Romance

A young woman in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently paralyzed man she's taking care of. The man may experience major depressive disorder. Fisher King (1991) Drama A radio DJ, despondent and suicidal because of a horrible mistake he made, finds redemption in helping a psychotic homeless man who was a victim of it. The radio DJ may experience major depressive disorder and the homeless man may experience schizophrenia.

House of Sand & Fog (2003) Drama

A woman who may experience major depressive disorder is evicted from her house and starts a tragic conflict with her home's new owners.

The Hours (2002) Drama

Multiple characters appears to experience major depressive disorder.

It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010) Comedy, Drama, Romance

A teenager diagnosed with major depressive disorder gets a new start with his life after he checks himself into a psychiatric ward.

Joker (2019) Drama Thriller

In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He appears to experience major depressive disorder.

Mad Love (1995) Drama/Romance

Matt and Casey are Seattle teens that find love. However, Casey may experience bipolar disorder (although it is referred to as clinical depression in the movie), and is hospitalized for a suicide attempt. Matt, caring for Casey too much to leave her, helps her escape from the hospital, and they take to the road.

Mr. Jones (1993)

The story about the relationship between a man with bipolar disorder and the female doctor who takes more than a professional interest in his treatment.

Ordinary People (1980) Drama

Conrad, the main character would probably meet the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder or major depressive disorder.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Comedy, Drama, Romance

After a stint in a mental institution, Pat moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Pat may have bipolar disorder.

Personality Disorders

Fatal Attraction (1987)

This film follows a happily married man (Michael Douglas) who engages in a one-night stand with a troubled woman (Glenn Close) who refuses to end the affair. She may have borderline personality disorder.

Girl, Interrupted (1999)

Susanna is depressed and directionless after finishing high school in the late 1960's. A suicide attempt lands her in a mental institution with the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992)

This film stars Rebecca De Mornay as a nanny possibly with borderline personality disorder.

Housekeeping (1987) Drama

An eccentric aunt comes to care for two sisters in the Pacific Northwest after the suicide of their mother. The girls can't decide if their aunt is simply odd or seriously mentally ill. The viewer confronts a similar dilemma. The character may experience schizotypal personality disorder.

In the Company of Men (1997) Drama

Two business executives set out to exact revenge on the female gender by seeking out the most innocent and uncorrupted girl they can find and ruining her life. The character named Chad may have Antisocial Personality Disorder

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Crime/Thriller

An ambitious FBI agent enlists the aid of a criminally insane ex-psychiatrist to help track down a serial killer. The ex-psychiatrist shows symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder

Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders

Canvas (2006) Drama

A woman's schizophrenia affects her relationships with her husband and son.

Don Juan Demarco (1995) Johnny Depp portrays a patient in a psychiatric hospital who claims to be Don Juan, the world's greatest lover. He appears to have delusional disorder. Marlon Brando plays the psychiatrist who tries to analyze his patient's apparent delusion.

Fear of Rain (2021) Drama Horror Thriller

A girl living with schizophrenia struggles with terrifying hallucinations as she begins to suspect her neighbor has kidnapped a child. The only person who believes her is Caleb -a boy she isn't even sure exists.

Forever Lulu [also known as Along for the Ride] (2000) Comedy/Romance

A schizophrenic romantic track down her college sweetheart to help her find their son she gave up for adoption sixteen years ago to the dismay of his new wife.

The Caveman's Valentine (2001) Drama

Homeless, misunderstood, and possibly schizophrenic Julliard-trained piano genius, Romulus, finds a frozen corpse outside his Manhattan cave. Romulus risks his remaining sanity to prove who committed the murder for the sake of justice.

Neverwas (2005) Drama Fantasy

A psychiatrist, who leaves a job at a prestigious university, takes up a job at a privately run mental institution, the very place where his novelist father spent many years of his life, and later wrote a popular children's classic, Neverwas. Once there, he meets a schizophrenic patient who believes that he is a character from the tale.

Shine (1996) Drama Biography

Based on the true story of Australian pianist David Helfgott, the movie charts how David experiences a psychotic breakdown, his life in an institution, and his return to the concert hall. The character appears to have schizoaffective disorder.

The Shining (1980) Drama Horror

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future. The father shows symptoms of schizophrenia.

Soloist (2009) Drama | Biography | Music

A Los Angeles journalist befriends a homeless trained musician, while looking for a new article for the paper. The musician appears to have Schizophrenia.

Spider (2002) Drama

A man lives in a halfway house for the mentally ill in London. He has been institutionalized with acute schizophrenia for some 20 years. He has never truly recovered, however, and as the story progresses we vicariously experience his increasingly fragile grip on reality.

Eating Disorders

Best Little Girl in the World (1981) Drama

A drama about a teenager with anorexia nervosa.

For the Love of Nancy (1994) Drama

The parents of an anorexic woman with anorexia nervosa fight to save her life.

To the Bone (2017) Drama

A young woman, dealing with anorexia, meets an unconventional doctor who challenges her to face her condition and embrace life.

Disorders of Sex and Gender

The Danish Girl (2015) Drama

A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

Disorders of Childhood

Rain Man (1988) Drama

A young man discovers the existence of a brother who is an autistic savant.

Disorders of Aging

Away From Her (2006) Drama

A woman is institutionalized because of Alzheimer's disease.

Movie descriptions include information from:

Wedding, D. & Boyd, M.A. (1997). Movies & Mental Illness. McGraw Hill College IMDB website: http://www.imdb.com