DSM-III at the cinema: Madness in the movies

A kaleidoscopic view of commercial film and television depiction of mental disorders is presented. Films portraying various types of mental disorder, from psychoses through personality disorders, are identified and examined in terms of DSM-III diagnostic criteria. It is concluded that although few generalizations can be made, a surprisingly large number of films are reasonably accurate in their representations of various disorders, and some may even be considered prototypal in their portrayal of the mentally ill.