| | Friday, December 28, 2007 |
| Movie List - Mood Disorders |
| American Splendor | Favorite |
| Genre: | Drama/Comedy | Year: | 2003 | Rating: | R |
| Actors: | Paul Giamatti, Harvey Pekar, Hope Davis |
| Topics: | Depression, Family Dysfunction, Personality Disorder |
| Very interesting and unique film. Drags a bit at the end, though. Story of Harvey Pekar's life (he's |
| the "poster child" for the DSM-III according to his wife). Full of characters with quirks |
| (psychopathology?) who are still functioning in their lives. My favorite is Toby, the self-proclaimed |
| nerd (pronounced "nyerd") who is autistic. Having worked in a VA hospital, I can attest that the |
| climate in the file room is right on the mark! |
| An Angel at My Table | Favorite |
| Genre: | Drama | Year: | 1990 | Rating: | R |
| Actors: | Kerry Fox, Alexia Keogh, Karen Fergusson |
| Topics: | Treatment, Personality Disorder, Depression |
| Autobiography of a New Zealand poet who was misdiagnosed as schizophrenic and spent 8 years |
| in a mental hospital. Disturbing portrayals of treatment at the time - ECT, start of leucotomies. |
| Consider her personality issues - Avoidant? Social Phobia? Another case where art, in this case |
| writing, allows her to tolerate the traumas of her life. |
| Autumn Leaves |
| Genre: | Drama | Year: | 1956 | Rating: | NR |
| Actors: | Joan Crawford, Cliff Robertson, Vera Miles |
| Topics: | Treatment, Depression |
| Joan Crawford as the older woman who marries a younger man after a whirlwind romance, only to |
| discover that he is mentally unbalanced. Should she have him committed? This film lends itself to |
| a Freudian interpretation, as well. |
| | Page 1 of 8 |