Mental illness is something that individuals are extremely misinformed about or are uncomfortable talking about. Consequently, those going through it are ignored, attacked, or forced to tackle it on their own. This unawareness and unspoken talk of mental illness

paralyzes the friends and family members of those going through it and renders them powerless. Mental illness has not been mainstream for several decades, yet finally, the times are a-changin’. Books, television programs, and films have made these subjects familiar and opened up dialogue on them. The following films available on Netflix have the focus on mental illness or mental health to continue the discussion about the issue.

14. Strange Voices (1987)

This movie takes us through the entire process of an individual with schizophrenia, from diagnosis to prognosis. It depicts the process of an individual getting to grips with the fact that they have the condition. The movie takes us through the process of how the family progresses from denial, resentment, and finally to accepting Nicole’s (Nancy McKeon) condition of mental wellbeing. It also sheds light on the patient’s decision to take or not take treatment and how it impacts them and their caregivers. It is a poignant quest towards acceptance since it tries patience, determination, and sense of self for everyone taking care of Nicole. The treatment’s consequences also bring in the spotlight what are the mannerisms in which mental health issues have been dealt with over the years and if we still are confronted with similar dilemmas and issues. You may watch the film here.

13. To the Bone (2017)

‘To the Bone’ is about the life of a 20-year-old woman, Ellen, who has anorexia. What appears more like a physical illness, anorexia is in fact a mental condition that even takes lives. Ellen’s teen years are spent going from one recovery program to another, but for her nothing seems to work out. She eventually finds a youth home that takes unorthodox approaches to assisting individuals who suffer from this. Even the regulations in this institution surprise Ellen, and now she has to finally cope with her eating disorder as well as learn to accept herself for who she is. The film can only show a glimpse of the issue in its limited duration, but it makes you understand what the people around you might be facing, which is sufficient. You can watch the movie here.

12. Clinical (2017)

‘Clinical’ is a horror-thriller purely for entertainment purposes. It is about a psychiatrist who is brutally attacked by one of her female patients. This actually traumatizes her, and in order to overcome this, she attempts to distract herself by totally absorbing herself in assisting her new patient. But once the man who is her new patient begins tracing his own history, things start getting worse for the psychologist because he might have some connection with the past scarring episode. You can watch ‘Clinical’ here.

11. God’s Crooked Lines (2022).

‘God’s Crooked Lines’ is a Spanish psychological thriller (Spanish: Los renglones torcidos de Dios) directed by Oriol Paulo and it is an adaptation of the 1979 novel of the same title by Torcuato Luca de Tena. The plot focuses on Alice Gould, a detective who pretends to be paranoid to investigate in a psychiatric hospital. This is part of her investigation in the suspicious death of one of its patients. But as time goes by at the hospital, she is exposed to an environment that causes her to wonder whether or not she’s losing her mind. The cast of ‘God’s Crooked Lines’ features Bárbara Lennie as Alice, along with Loreto Mauleón, Samuel Soler, Federico Aguado, Eduard Fernández, Pablo Derqui, and Francisco Javier Pastor. You can watch the film here.

10. Horse Girl (2020)

This movie is about a young lady quickly falling into a deep psychological hole because she cannot differentiate between what is real and her recollections or imaginations. She does not know what she does during a loss of time and space. Since there is mental illness in her lineage, she is eventually checked into a psychological institution. Directed by Jeff Baena and written in collaboration with Alison Brie (who stars in the role of Sarah), the film draws inspiration from Brie’s experiences with mental illness in her family, particularly paranoid schizophrenia and depression. Talking to Deadline, Allison Brie attempts to tease out “how frightening it is not to be able to trust your own mind.” You can watch ‘Horse Girl’ here.

9. 6 Balloons (2018).

Starring Dave Franco, ‘6 Balloons’ is a film about how a woman finds out that her brother has relapsed into heroin addiction. She and her two-year-old daughter leave in a car late one evening to go find a detox center for him. This movie becomes a bit tedious at certain points, but the reason it’s worth watching is because it’s based on real facts, and the actors ensure that you experience a really realistic sensation out of it. Firstly, the film touches your heart with its endearing dialogues, but subsequently, the plot begins to take a very dark, terrifying direction, which will haunt you even after the film is over and prompt you to think twice before experimenting with heroin yourself. The film can be streamed here. Read More: Best Survival Movies on Netflix

8. Fractured (2019)

Starring Sam Worthington (Ray Monroe) and Lily Rabe (Joanne Monroe), this psychological thriller has us sitting at the edge of our seats, and nothing is put together till the very end. While driving back home from a Thanksgiving dinner, tragedy hits the Monroe family when their daughter gets hurt badly. Ray and Joanne hastily rush to the nearest hospital only to become separated, leaving Ray into paranoia as the hospital staff refuses to admit his wife and daughter. This movie leaves us with a huge sense of wonder and disbelief at what the human mind is capable of in the face of tragedy. The mind does what it does to shield itself from trauma. You can watch ‘Fractured’ online here.

7. I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

As usual with Charlie Kaufman’s work, ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ is a movie that one needs to pay close attention to because the narrative is not a straight one. There are many dynamic elements, such as the characters’ identities, their past, and their experiences, that make the audience rethink their notion of the tale. Just like the characters in the movie, we begin questioning everything. Jesse Plemons and Jessie Buckley have performed outstandingly as Jake and the young woman (Lucy, Louisa, Lucia, and Ames), respectively. The film is about a young couple taking a visit to meet Jake’s parents and all that follows in between. But doubt and self-doubt creep in early for the young woman as well as the audiences. Elegantly crafted, the movie does its best to stay in sync with what is imagined and what is unfolding. You can watch it here.

6. Hypnotic (2021)

Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote-directed ‘Hypnotic’ revolves around Jenn Tompson (Kate Siegel), a computer programmer who believes that her life is stuck. She recently broke up with her long-term boyfriend and hasn’t accomplished anything new in her career life either. After encountering Dr. Collin Meade (Jason O’Mara) at a housewarming party for one of his patients, Jenn is interested and goes in for a session with him. Meade hypnotizes her for an hour, and by the time Jenn comes to, she finds that she feels more liberated and cheerful than she has been in months. But she soon learns that Meade does not have her best interests at heart when she begins to lose hours in a day and awful things start to happen to her friends and relatives. You can view the movie here.

5. Pieces of a Woman (2020)

In Kornél Mundruczó’s ‘Pieces of a Woman,’ Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and Sean (Shia LaBeouf) are a young Boston couple who are about to have a child together. Sean isn’t particularly fond of Martha’s mother, and that feeling is mutual. Martha has decided to have a home birth, but as the midwife they initially hired is unavailable, another named Eva is sent in her stead. Following the delivery, the newborn baby girl appears to be healthy at first but then turns blue and dies despite Eva’s efforts to resuscitate her. Sean and Martha then fall into extreme depression, finding it impossible to cope with the unprecedented loss. They sue Eva, which essentially compels them to replay their trauma. You can view the movie here to see what subsequently happens.

4. Karthik Calling Karthik (2010)

Directed by Vijay Lalwani, ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’ is an Indian Hindi film that is about a young man named Karthik who is an intelligent but bullied employee and secretly loves his co-worker Shonali Mukherjee, who dates another man. One day, he buys a new phone, and the next morning, he begins receiving a call from a man who sounds identical to him. The man promises him that if he listens to whatever this man has to say without making anyone aware of these calls, he will be successful. Later, he actually gets promoted and is able to be with Shonali. But after informing Sonali about calls and a visit to the psychiatrist, a gripping reality comes forth. A true-to-from psychological drama, ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’ is an excellent watch for those seeking something serious. The cast includes Farhan Akhtar as Karthik and Deepika Padukone as Shonali, Shefali Shah, Ram Kapoor, Vipin Sharma, Brijendra Kala, and Tarana Raja. Feel free to check out the movie here.

3. Gerald’s Game (2017)

‘Gerald’s Game’ follows Jessie and Gerald Burlingame, a couple facing numerous marriage issues. In a desperate bid to salvage their marriage, they drive to a secluded cabin where Gerald handcuffs his wife to the bed with the hope of some raunchy foreplay. During the course of the foreplay, Gerald has a fatal heart attack and dies instantly, leaving Jessie strapped to the bed with no one around to help her. With no food and perpetual fear in her head, Jesse’s world continues to distort around her, and she even starts hallucinating as the fatigue takes its grip. As the story unfolds, the border between reality and delusion blurs as Jesse is pulled into the depths of her weary mind. You can watch the film here.

2. Blonde (2022)

Writer-director Andrew Dominik’s ‘Blonde’ is not for the faint of heart. It puts the celebrity culture, Hollywood, and social elites under the microscope, highlighting their transgressions and weakness for all to witness. It is also a movie that attempts to take advantage of its star — one of the greatest stars ever from Hollywood, the iconic and incomparable Marilyn Monroe, whose character is acted out magnificently by Ana de Armas. Because of this, ‘Blonde’ is exactly what it lampoons. The movie traces Marilyn’s life during different phases of her professional career. It starts when the actress was still referred to as Norma Jeane Mortenson, and it captures the abuses she faced, her volatile relationships with the men in her life, and her subsequent death by overdose. ‘Blonde’ polarized critics as well as audiences but it cannot be denied that it is a good-acted and well-made film. You may see it here.

1. The Woman in the Window (2021)

‘The Woman in the Window’ is about Child psychologist Anna Fox (Amy Adams), who resides single-handedly in a Manhattan brownstone following the disintegration of her marriage to her husband. Their child resides with the aforementioned husband. Anna has a problem with alcohol and is an agoraphobic, watching her neighbors for hours on end through her windows. One day, she observes the killing of one of those neighbors, Jane Russell. But when she approaches the authorities with this tip, they brush her aside and inform her that nobody within the Russell family is injured. When Anna meets the Russells later, she is shocked to find this isn’t the woman she had initially met. And as she begins to doubt her sanity, Anna discovers that the medications she has been taking have resulted in hallucinations. You can watch the movie here. Read More: Best Teen Movies on Netflix