Psychology & Mental Disorders
Mixture of good and mediocre depictions of mental illness in fiction. Mixture of realistic to dramatic and fantastical.
This is a list of different representations of mental illnesses along with their diagnoses and symptoms.
These are all speculation on my part, but I thought it'd be interesting to share more of the psychology behind different characters.
Minor spoilers below
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1. The Silent Forest
Taiwanese Special - 2020, 1 episode
This movie is pure trauma. It also shows how the same thing can affect people in different ways. Ex, the victim turned perpetrator, the victim left with scars but can still heal
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2. Yurigokoro
Japanese Movie - 2017
FL has an antisocial personality disorder-may be classified as more severe with psychopathy
Symptoms- lack of remorse and empathy, self harm, boredom/general discontent
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3. She's the Last Weapon
Korean Drama - 2022, 8 episodes
Depression-suicide attempts/ purposely tries to get beat up/that way he doesn't have to inflict the pain upon himself, others can do it for him
PTSD
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4. It's Okay to Not Be Okay
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
FL has antisocial personality disorder and another lead character has autism spectrum disorder
Symptoms-lack of remorse and empathy, hostility, manipulative, risk taking behaviors, impulsivity/lack of restraint
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5. Project S: Skate Our Souls
Thai Drama - 2017, 8 episodes
Depression-suicide-self harm
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6. Orange
Japanese Movie - 2015
Depression and suidcide
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7. One Week Friends
Japanese Movie - 2017
Anterograde amnesia
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8. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
Korean Movie - 2006
Delusion & hallucinations
Transference & replacement
OCD
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9. Good Doctor
Japanese Drama - 2018, 10 episodes
Autism Spectrum Disorder-Savant syndrome
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10. MARS
Taiwanese Drama - 2004, 13 episodes
Every character in this show needs therapy oh my goodness
Ptsd-panic attacks, hallucinations both auditory and visual
Antisocial personality disorder/sociopathy/psychopathy
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11. Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Korean Drama - 2022, 16 episodes
Autism Spectrum Disorder-Savant syndrome
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12. Flower of Evil
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
Antisocial Personality Disorder
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13. Sachiiro no One Room
Japanese Drama - 2018, 10 episodes
Depression, Trauma, obsession
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14. Vreemdelingen uit hel
Korean Drama - 2019, 10 episodes
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15. Drama Special Series Season 1: White Christmas
Korean Special - 2011, 8 episodes
This show is all about psychology and it's amazing. If y'all watch anything on this list, watch this one.
Psychotic depression-induced by childhood trauma, substance abuse, visual hallucinations, disconnect with peers and reality, hard to express emotion
Histrionic Personality Disorder-(not as sure for this one) Constant violence, aggressive outbursts, the thought of being loved is scary so being hated is his goal
Antisocial Personality Disorder- really the only symptom shown is the inability to feel much emotion
Other psychological aspects included in the show: Self-harm, suicide, compulsive gossiping, inferiority complex
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16. 3 Nen A Gumi: Ima kara Mina-san wa, Hitojichi Desu
Japanese Drama - 2019, 10 episodes
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17. Gakkou no Kaidan
Japanese Drama - 2015, 10 episodes
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18. Cat's Cradle
Chinese Drama - 2020, 12 episodes
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19. It's Okay, That's Love
Korean Drama - 2014, 16 episodes
A beautiful drama that covers many psychological concepts.
Schizophrenia-Auditory & visual hallucinations, self-harm tendencies, childhood trauma induced issues, etc
Tourettes Syndrome, conduct disorder, dissociation, shared psychosis, etc
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20. We're Not Trash
Korean Drama - 2022, 8 episodes
Bad representation for bipolar, but a pretty good representation of depression
Loss/grief induced depression-brain fog, lack of interest, fatigue, sudden outbursts of sadness/uncontrollable crying
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21. Only You
Korean Drama - 2022, 2 episodes
Depression
Agoraphobia
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22. Human Disqualification
Korean Drama - 2021, 16 episodes
Depression/trauma induced
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23. Hun Shi
Chinese Drama - 2023, 27 episodes
Sociopathy-inability to feel emotion pertaining to others/no empathy or sympathy, emotion manipulation, aggression, mood swings/outbursts, childhood trauma (intense bullying), & pathological lying
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24. Beyond the Dream
Hong Kong Movie - 2019
Schizophrenia-Delusions (being watched), auditory and visual hallucinations
Erotomania- Believing someone is in love with you when they're not (impossible imagined romance such as with a celebrity, teacher, etc)
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25. Another Way
Korean Movie - 2017
Depression
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26. Undo
Japanese Movie - 1994
OCD- compulsion of tying knots
TW: animal abuse
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27. Shoot My Heart
Korean Movie - 2015
Schizophrenia
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28. Confidential Items
Chinese Drama - 2024, 21 episodes
How grief and trauma affect the way we view love and life.
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29. Weak Hero
Korean Drama - 2022, 8 episodes
Each character's psychology is represented in their fighting styles. Si-Eun fights for revenge and pays back double. Beomseok fights to "prove" that he's not cowardly due to his inferiority complex. Suho fights just to end things.
Si-Eun likely has severe depression due to his constant lows, lack of emotion and expression of emotion due to parental neglect and isolation.
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30. We Are Little Zombies
Japanese Movie - 2019
We are Little Zombies is about a group of kids who grew up in a dark world, not knowing what healthy parental love looks like. Domestic abuse, parental neglect, parental insertion and jealously, bullying, and no support lead these kids to close themselves off. When their parents die, they don't really know how to feel, display their feelings, or what right they have to certain feelings. With parents they hate, but can't help but love, how can they decide what to feel? Instead the shock, the tragedy, the lack of tragedy cause them to become "zombies."
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31. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
ASPD symptoms that he has include: lack of empathy and remorse, an inability to understand or feel emotions, manipulation, an ability to act and lie, etc.
So him saying "teach me" in the show is him truly saying teach me how to feel and act like "normal" people. Because for him, those things aren't natural.