Though we all love a good escape when we stream Netflix for the night (or the whole weekend sometimes, if we’re honest) some TV shows, even if they’re of the reality genre, need a reality check. Some examples: People don’t always enjoy, or even have sex in high school, or give birth in the amount of time it takes to order a latte.
Other times, shows really get it right, especially when it comes to mental health. Honest depictions not only increase visibility of mental illness and help take away stigma, but they also fill the audience in on what it’s really like to have a mental illness. And sometimes those details aren’t so pretty. Within the past 10 years, there’s been a surge in shows depicting characters with disorders like OCD, depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. While they don’t always nail every detail exactly accurately, many series have been careful and responsible about it.
These eight shows offer a smart, sensible look into mental illness.
Never Have I Ever
Don’t write off the fact that this is a high school show, because there are much more mature themes about mental health in this show (and it’s been the number one show on Netflix in multiple countries with almost every season release, so the audience expands way beyond Gen Z). The series begins with teenage Devi reeling from the death of her father, after which she experienced temporary paralysis, and then returning to high school. Though it never mentions a concrete diagnosis of PTSD, the show depicts how Devi and her mother and family navigate their own grief and anger, especially given that Devi had a closer relationship with her father. The main character regularly sees a therapist, Dr. Ryan, played by the genuine and scene-stealing Niecy Nash, who listens to Devi intently but also encourages her to take accountability for her actions and angry outbursts as she works through the grief process.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CC528grTY6c%3Ffeature%3Doembed
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Despite having “crazy” in its title, the loveable musical dramedy has nailed portraying mental health issues with heart and honesty. After all, how many shows can get away with singing punchy songs about anxiety and depression? In “You Stupid Bitch, ”Rebecca Bunch, portrayed by Rachel Bloom, sang about her lowest moments of depression. Bloom, who is open about suffering from depression, says the tune rang true because it’s how she feels about herself when she’s feeling low. And we can’t forget about the tongue-in-cheek “Sexy French Depression,” which pokes fun at how we can romanticize the condition.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=H1DCoGCVUxY%3Ffeature%3Doembed
Homeland
CIA officer Carrie (Claire Danes) outsmarts terrorists and saves the country time and time again, all while battling bipolar disorder. Over time, as the show progresses, we witness Carrie dealing with every aspect of her condition, from fights with her family when she goes off her meds to psychotic episodes to the emotional and career highs she experiences when her mental health is under her control. Homeland never shies away from showing the nitty gritty, and it illustrates the reality of how much bipolar disorder effects every aspect of Carrie’s life, including motherhood, her love life, and her job. Danes has won accolades for portraying such a complex character with nuance.
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Girls
Hannah, played by Lena Dunham, develops OCD from the stress of writing her book. Who can forget that Q-tip scene in Season 2? That episode portrayed the disorder with brutal honesty, and that can probably be attributed to the fact that Dunham struggles with OCD herself. In fact, most of that season centered on Hannah’s mental health. For the most part, experts approved of the portrayal, since OCD can in fact get worse under stress.
Jessica Jones
She may be a superhero, but Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) also fights Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She suffers from flashbacks and struggles with intimacy as a result of being raped, and the show doesn’t sugarcoat the devastating effects the trauma has had on her. It portrays a woman who doesn’t always use the best methods to cope, but that’s what makes her real. In fact, Jessica Jones showrunner Melissa Rosenberg has told the Los Angeles Times that she wanted to make the portrayal of PTSD as realistic as possible, without glossing anything over, saying, “With rape, I think we all know what that looks like. We’ve seen plenty of it on television and I didn’t have any need to see it, but I wanted to experience the damage that it does. I wanted the audience to really viscerally feel the scars that it leaves. It was not important to me, on any level, to actually see it. TV has plenty of that, way too often, used as titillation, which is horrifying.”
This Is Us
The NBC favorite is famous for hitting a nerve with its devoted audience, and that’s because it’s known for keeping it real. At the end of the first season, Randall (Sterling K. Brown) has a panic attack during a play, and depicts exactly how overwhelming and scary anxiety can be. Details like blurred vision showed the audience what it’s like to experience a panic attack. In season two, his anxiety continued as he worried about being a strong enough parent to adopt a child.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Co-created by Tina Fey, the show is so hilarious that it’s easy to forget that it deals with serious, hard-hitting issues. After spending 15 years held captive in a bunker, Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) has PTSD as a result of the kidnapping and sexual abuse. And while the premise isn’t exactly your average mental health patient, what’s so real about it is that Kimmy appears to be happy, well-adjusted and high functioning—but secretly crumbling on the inside, just like many women who suffer from mental illness.
Orange is the New Black
This Netflix hit not only shows what it’s like for women to live with a variety of mental illnesses, but the effect that being incarcerated has on them, too. For example, Suzanne, nicknamed Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba), clearly has severe mental issues, which affect her fellow inmates too, but the prison doesn’t provide the psychological care she needs. Mental health issues like suicide, drug abuse, PTSD, depression, and paranoia, among others, are front and center throughout the series. Orange is the New Black shows the stigma of mental illness, and how it can completely change the direction of your life.
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