This list is for those of you who are interested in viewing movies that deal with psychological disorders. Some movies depict some disorders better than others, and sometimes the disorder is not the main focus of the movie. Remember: these are Hollywood representations of disorders! By posting this list, Dr. Davila does not necessarily endorse these movies or attest to their quality. Some movies may have violent and/or sexual content, as well as strong language. Please consult your local video store for information about the rating of each movie in choosing whether you want to watch it or not.

If you know of any movies that you think should be added to the list, please let Dr. Davila know.

Movies marked with * were suggested by students

Multiple Personality Disorder

Primal Fear*
Starring: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Francis MacDormand
Deals with a defense attorney (Gere) and his client who seems to have this disorder

Color of Night
Starring: Bruce Willis, Jane March
A psychologist (Willis) moves to LA, takes over group therapy sessions from a colleague and the story begins

Three Faces of Eve
Starring: Joanne Woodward
Based on a true account of a woman’s life story

Sybil
Starring: Sally Field
Another true-life account of this disorder

Never Talk to Strangers
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Rebecca DeMornay
A psychologist (DeMornay) deals with her life and strange occurrences

Psycho
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh
Classic Hitchcock, that seems to subtlety portray this disorder

Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase*
Starring: Shelley Long
Based on Truddi Chase's autobiography When the Rabbit Howls

Depression

Ordinary People
Starring: Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Judd Hirsch, Mary Tyler Moore
A teen (Hutton) deals with his family and depression with the help of a psychologist (Hirsch)

Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy
Starring: Dave Foley, Scott Thompson, and the rest of the "Kids"
Comedy about a pharmaceutical giant, who manufactures a new anti-depressant

Deep Blue
HBO documentary with real people and their everyday struggles

Mad Love*
Starring: Drew Barrymore and Chris O'Donnell
Plot focuses on Casey (Drew Barrymore) and her fight with what seems like it may be manic depression

Phobias

Vertigo
Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak
Another Hitchcock film about a private detective and his battle with...you guessed it...vertigo

Copycat
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dylan McDermott, Harry Connick Jr.
Not really the plot of the movie, but the main character will not leave her home

High Anxiety
Starring: Mel Brooks, Cloris Leachman
Comedy spoof on Vertigo

Borderline Personality Disorder

Betty Blue

Fatal Attraction
Starring: Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer
A married man (Douglas) makes the wrong choice and has an affair with a disturbed woman (Close)

Dissociative Fugue

Blackout
Starring: Keith Carradine
A man finds himself in a hospital, after a car wreck, with no memory of his prior life before the accident

Domestic Abuse and Child Abuse

The Burning Bed
Starring: Farrah Fawcett
A woman and her children are terrorized by her husband

Devil in the Flesh*
The story illustrates the consequences of child abuse. A young girl, who was abused by her parents, kills several people

Alcohol Abuse

When A Man Loves A Woman
Starring: Andy Garcia, Meg Ryan
A couple struggles to keep their relationship, as the wife battles alcoholism

OCD

As Good As It Gets
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Skeet Ulrich
An man with obsessive-compulsive disorder (Nicholson) deals with life, love and his neighbors

Mental Retardation

Bill
Starring: Mickey Rooney, Dennis Weaver
A couple take an elderly man (Rooney), who is retarded, into their lives

Autism

Mercury Rising
Starring: Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Miko Hughes
A young boy with autism (Hughes) cracks the government’s code and is pursued by agents

Rain Man
Starring: Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman
An autistic man is taken away from an institution by his younger greedy half brother

Mental Hospitals

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher
A very unflattering portrayal of institutions and the way that people were treated, while hospitalized

Asylum
HBO documentary about early to modern institutions

Antisocial Personality Disorder/Psychopathy