Film and TV Series that Address Mental Health
Movies
A Beautiful Mind
A Beautiful
Mind is both a moving love story and a revealing look at mental illness starring Russell
Crowe. From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash Jr. experienced it
all. A
mathematical genius, he 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 painful and harrowing
journey
of self-discovery.
Beautiful Boy
Beautiful
Boy is a powerful and emotional film about drug addiction starring Steve Carell, Timothée
Chalamet, Maura Tierney, and Amy Ryan. Chalamet plays teenager Nicolas Sheff who seems to
have
it all with good grades and being an actor, artist, athlete and editor of the school newspaper. When Nic's
addiction to meth threatens to destroy him, his father does whatever he can to save his son and
family.
Good Will Hunting
In Good Will
Hunting, Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a janitor at MIT, is a naturally bright young man who
spends his spare time solving incredible puzzles that the other college students can’t seem to figure
out.
But Will comes from an abusive childhood, so although his mind is incredible, it is also quite troubled.
Through
regular meetings with a therapist (Robin Williams), Will is able to successfully battle his depression and
build
up his life.
Documentaries
Broken Places
Broken
Places explores why some children are severely damaged by early adversity while others
thrive.
By revisiting children the filmmakers profiled decades ago, they are able to dramatically illustrate how
early
trauma shaped their lives as adults.
Project Happiness
What does happiness mean, and how do we attain it? The impetus for Project
Happiness
was this seemingly simple question, which opened the doors for a multi-faceted discussion surrounding
emotion,
relationships and following one's heart versus one's mind. The film follows students on three continents as
they
conduct interviews on the meaning of true happiness. Importantly, the film unpacks happiness as it relates
to
the youth, and what society teaches children to prioritize in order to live a satisfactory life.
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind
Robin Williams:
Come
Inside My Mind uses rare archival footage from the actor's life to closely examine the
inner
workings of his brilliance, which were deeply impacted by substance abuse, dementia diagnosis and, what many
perceived, as an addiction to comedy itself.
Running From Crazy
Running from Crazy examines the
personal journey of Academy Award® nominated actress, author and mental health advocate Mariel Hemingway,
the
granddaughter of writer Ernest Hemingway, as she strives for a deeper understanding of the suicide and
mental
illness that have afflicted so many of her family members, including her supermodel/actress sister, Margaux
Hemingway and her oldest sister, artist Joan "Muffet" Hemingway.
For Children
Sesame Street’s “Caring for Each Other”
videos and resources are here to support you during the COVID-19 crisis. Families everywhere are coping with
changing routines, anxiety, and loss. The site is filled with rich content you can use with children to
spark
playful learning, offer them comfort, and help your whole family thrive.
Additional Resources
Click here for more movies recommended by NAMI that realistically show what it’s like to experience mental illness.
10 Movies Dealing With Mental Health That Actually Get the Human Mind Right by Everyday Health
16 Scenes From TV Shows That Actually Helped People With Their Mental Health by Buzzfeed