HOLLYWOOD, CA – SEPTEMBER 10: Actress Kristen Wiig and actor Bill Hader attend the premiere of Roadside Attractions ‘The Skeleton Twins’ at the ArcLight Hollywood on September 10, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images)
One of the best ways to rid the stigma and begin discussions on mental health is through film, and there have been many popular (and in some cases award-winning) films that are great examples of this. Here are just five that tackle the topic of mental health.
The Skeleton Twins
Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader are best known for their comedic talents from Saturday Night Live, but their turn as twin brother and sister in this drama that deals with suicide and depression is nothing short of moving.
Ordinary People
The classic film and Academy Award winner for Best Picture features incredible performances from Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore and Timothy Hutton, who portray a family trying to come to grips with life after the unexpected death of a son/brother. Many mental illness topics are explored in this film from survivor’s guilt to post-traumatic stress to even the stigma of seeking therapy and psychiatric treatment.
Frankie & Alice
Starring Halle Berry, Frankie & Alice is based on a true story of a woman diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder and the treatment and discovery of the trauma that led to her condition.
Silver Linings Playbook
Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro star in this critically-acclaimed commercially successful film about a man struggling with bipolar disorder who’s trying to win his wife back with the help of a woman grieving from the death of her husband.
Inside Out
While no mental health disorders are discussed in this Pixar gem, growing up and going through puberty is no joke. Add in moving to a new town in with all of the hormones like female protagonist Riley, and her various emotions are having a difficult time adjusting.
