The topic of psychiatry and the cinema has been popular since the 1930's. Examining psychopathology in the movies has provided a rich, entertaining and provocative medium for teaching medical students, residents and physicians. It has also been used to help patients understand complex behaviors and gain insights into their own personality development. A book review in the latest JAMA highlights a new book by David J. Robinson, MD from the University of Western Ontario entitled "Reel Psychiatry: Movie Portrayals of Psychiatric Conditions" by Rapid Psychler Press.
According to the review, there are a number of books about psychiatry and the movies and these have typically presented a list of films for a variety of life problems or emotional conditions and detail ways of introducing them into the therapy process. These were geared toward having patients view assigned movies at home and discuss them in individual therapy sessions or view and discuss films in group settings. Robinson's book takes a different approach. It is intended for teaching psychiatry rather than for treating patients and provides a summary of DSM-IV-TR diagnostic classification and offers illustrative movies for each category. There is an interesting section in the book that discusses a brief history and characteristics of various conditions along with a listing of the diagnostic criteria and accompanying movie descriptions.
The reviewer (Irving Schneider, MD from Georgetown University Medical School) concludes that Reel Psychiatry is an entertaining and educational book that could easily be recommended to any health professional interested in psychiatric diagnostics, movies, or both.
Additional reading on psychiatry and cinema
Cinebrain - A weblog devoted to psychiatry and the cinema
Reviews of films with mental health and substance abuse themes
The Portrayal of Psychiatry in Recent Film (pdf article)
I Schneider Images of the mind: psychiatry in the commercial film
Psychiatry & Film: A Fatal Attraction
Psychiatry in the Cinema
Movies and Mental Illness Bibliography
Psychiatry and Cinema Amazon Listing
List of films that demonstrate psychopathology
List of articles and books about psychiatry and the cimema
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