4 TV/Films That Get Mental Illness Right On Screen

Today on Bipolar She, Janine looks at how mental illness shows up on screen from the neurotic, quirky TV musical Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to the critically acclaimed Silver Linings Playbook with Bradly Cooper’s pitch perfect bipolar performance, to Taylor Tomlinson’s bold comedy special Look at You that dives right into being a bipolar millennial, and the deep psychological trauma revealed by creator Richard Gadd in the haunting Netflix original Baby Reindeer.

This episode moves from the psychologically light content to psychologically dark and asks: What screen stories get mental illness right? What can we see differently now about the public’s perception of mental illness on screen? Has anything changed?

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Have a mental health story you want to tell? Whether it becomes a journal entry, essay, memoir, podcast episode, or something you say out loud for the first time, it starts with story. Janine is preparing a storytelling class for people ready to write and speak about the hard stuff. Visit BipolarShe.com and sign up for updates.

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Transcript

Welcome To Bipolar She

Janine 0:38

Welcome to Bipolar She. I'm your host, Janine Noel.

Support The Show And New Season

Janine 0:42

Before we get started, we are working on a new season and we could really use your support. I've just joined the Buy Me a Coffee fundraising platform where listeners can make a micro donation to the show. Please check out Bipolar She's link to Buy Me a Coffee. It's in the show notes, or you can just Google Bipolar She and Buy Me a Coffee. These small donations are keeping me and my editor afloat.

Mental Illness On Screen And 988

Janine 1:12

Today we're talking film and TV and getting mental illness right on the screen. And suicide is a topic in some of these, but we won't get into those details today. If you do find yourself ever in need of immediate support, please dial 988 A Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Storytelling Starts With Your Story

Janine 1:34

I'm going to talk about film and TV because last episode I began a conversation about telling good stories, good mental health stories through good old books. To recap, during my MFA in creative nonfiction, I wrote down in detail the many, many health crises I have lived through. And when my fellow students and professors read them, I was met with a bit of judgment, but not a ton. And this encouraged me to write about the dark stuff and to read many, many books by authors who have been tackling mental illness for years and years. So if you have a mental health story to tell, you are not alone. Maybe you want it just to be a journal entry or you would like to get published. Maybe you want to be a guest on a podcast or even start a podcast. Whatever your goal is, it all starts with a story. And I have an upcoming storytelling class at the tail end of summer and early fall. If you have a story and want to find ways to get your voice out there in the world, please visit bipolar sheet.com, fill out your name and email, and you will hear from me soon. So today we are looking at films about mental illness TV, about mental illness, and actually a comedy uh special as well. I'll take this from the psychologically light to the psychologically dark.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend And Borderline Personality

Janine 2:59

All right, so first up is the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I love this show. It definitely has a pre-COVID vibe when life was a little easier and when a show could break the fourth wall with a musical dance number centered around the lead character Rebecca Bunch, played by Rebecca Bloom. What's interesting is this seemingly lighter show with fantastical MTV-like videos putting Rebecca in a powerful rock star role while she belts out original songs with other cast members, is the cold truth that Rebecca has borderline personality disorder. Unusual for a lighter show, but borderline personality disorder explains Rebecca's severe emotional instability, impulsive behaviors, and a deeply distorted self-image. Rebecca is one of those women who is just too much through the eyes of society, and that's pretty accurate for some of us when it comes to living with mental illness. This show won't be for everyone because it is intentionally over the top, but it's always good to see what mental health writing makes it on TV. Next up is Medium Psychologically Dark.

Silver Linings Playbook Through 2026

Janine 4:13

This is Silverlining's Playbook, the novel written by Matthew Quick and adapted for the screen, starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro. Maybe you saw this film way back in 2012. Did you know back then you were bipolar? Did you know back then you had OCD? I suggest reading the book and watching the movie from a 2026 lens. Bradley Cooper's character, Pat, has bipolar mania. Pat is so much more understandably bipolar than I even realized when I first saw it. Everyone is beyond quirky. Cooper is full of manic rage. Robert De Niro is playing his father, who clearly has obsessive compulsive disorder with his sports watching rituals. And then Jennifer Lawrence's Tiffany has erratic behavior. She's impulsive sexually, but she doesn't have a mental health label. They say our world relationship to mental health and being open about mental illness has changed drastically over the years in favor of us who struggle. Silverlining's playbook is now an important historical marker to see how transparent about mental illness we were in 2012 and if the world has truly changed by 2026. And yes, of course, you can't forget the Darling Dance Competition with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. The next is Medium, Psychologically Dark as well. I could have maybe put it before Silverlining's playbook.

Taylor Tomlinson Makes Bipolar Funny

Janine 6:06

So in 2022, the comedian Taylor Tomlinson released a Netflix special, Look at You. The reviews, they say that she's sharing her mental health journey. And I really don't like the word journey, although sometimes I use it if you have some more minor mental health challenges. A journey may be a nice way to sum things up. But in this episode, Taylor is talking specifically about her bipolar disorder and how it starts to get in the way of normal life time markers. I still can't get a few jokes out of my head about how she's trying to pull herself together, fearing that her bad bipolar behavior will leave her with no potential suitors or a partner. There's a lot swirling around in her head. She's overthinking, obsessing, it's chaos, and certainly not a way to meet a guy. And Taylor was super young when she did the special. I was excited because it meant things were changing for those whose mental health has been silenced. Woo-hoo! I thought, yay, here's what the new generation is up to. Please check it out. No matter your age or diagnosis, this is quite a feat for a young performer. And hopefully it does say something positive about the state of mental health awareness in the U.S.

Baby Reindeer And Dark Trauma

Janine 7:36

Okay, lastly, this is dark psychological territory. Two words, baby reindeer. This thriller was created by and stars Richard Gadd and is based on his own one-man stage show, which was framed as inspired by his real experience. In the show, Gadd plays Donnie Dunn, a struggling comedian and bartender, which is modeled after himself. It's about deep trauma, obsession, shame, sexual abuse, compulsive stalking, attachment, disassociation, and more and more. It isn't outwardly labeling or diagnosing characters or telling us that these situations are mental illnesses before our eyes, but they certainly are. The degradation and damage just oozes through everyone involved. And it's entirely gripping because it's a true story.

Roundup And How To Help

Janine 8:40

Okay, so that's the roundup for today. Thank you so much for listening and do share an episode of Bipolar Sheet. It helps me keep this independent podcast alive. And please check out my link in the show notes for Buy Me a Coffee, a platform where you can support me and the podcast for just a few dollars. It means so much to me. And as I said at the beginning, I'll be leading the class on storytelling and getting into the hard stuff. So visit bipolarsheet.com, sign up, and I will get you some information shortly. As always, thank you for listening.