13 Best Movies About Suicidal Depression That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Movies About Suicidal Depression

Despite the fact that millions of Americans suffer from depression, it can be incredibly lonely while you’re going through it. No two people’s experiences of depression will be the same, as depression manifests itself in a variety of ways in everyone. There are, however, some commonalities and symptoms that can be shared across the two conditions. Some of the lonely sensations can be alleviated by talking about similar experiences with others. In movies depicting depression, it might be comforting to see the commonalities between the characters’ experiences.

Depression is not caused by a single factor. Depressive episodes can happen to anyone, but those who have previously experienced them are more likely to suffer from them again in the future. Feelings of worthlessness, a loss of interest, weight gain, thoughts of death, and sleep difficulties are among the most prevalent symptoms of depression. The symptoms of depression are well-represented in a variety of films.

In movies, depression is a recurring theme. To convey depression in movies, those who haven’t experienced it themselves may know someone who has. If you’re looking for a list of films that show depression symptoms, development, affects, and treatment, go no further than the list below.

The following list of 13 movies on depression will help you discover a movie that can help you describe your own experience or provide a little distraction.

13 Movies About Depression

1. Cake

Cake

Actress Jennifer Anniston portrays Claire in the film, a grieving mother whose kid died. In this video, depression is depicted in all its complexity. In the film, it is clear that Claire has a hard time accepting that she needs to get better. She believes that if she gets healthier, she will be able to forget about her son; moving forward implies letting go. Chronic discomfort has exacerbated Claire’s daily battle to get up and go. A chronic pain support group booted her out because she became captivated and unfavorably responded to the news about a fellow group member’s suicide, which she had just heard.

2. Little Miss Sunshine

A family’s struggle with depression is depicted in this comedy. Olive, the family’s eldest daughter, is the only member of the family who does not suffer from depression. A cross-country road trip is organized so Olive can participate in a beauty pageant. Olive’s family rallies around her, despite their own hardships, to help her realize her ambition. Comedic occurrences abound during the characters’ car trip in this lighthearted drama about despair.

3. A Wonderful Life

A Wonderful Life

Depression is also a theme in this holiday classic. George Bailey (James Stewart) is on the verge of jumping off a bridge while he prays. An angel appears and saves him. Clarence, George’s guardian angel, depicts what life might have been like without him for everyone he knows. These visions allow him to see his life in a fresh light and how he has been able to help so many others in the process. It is with this realization that he heads back to his old life with a fresh appreciation. In spite of the fact that it’s unrealistic, it’s a heartwarming story.

4. Silver Linings Playbook

Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro feature in this award-winning picture about Pat (Bradley Cooper), a newly discharged patient from a psychiatric facility. A manic depressive disorder causes Pat to move back in with his family. In his hometown, he gets to know Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a young woman with her own mental health problems. As they get to know each other better and better, their friendship blossoms into something more. They nevertheless found love and happiness despite their mental illness in this film, which proves that mental illness does not define or devour a person.

5. World’s Greatest Dad

The plot of this film is strikingly similar to Robin Williams’ own life experience. Depressed single father, high school teacher, and failing author Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) For the past few years, his son has been obsessed with pornography and has been struggling in school. An autoerotic asphyxiation disaster claimed the life of Robin’s son one day. Lance fakes a suicide note in order to escape being humiliated. Afterwards, his son is considered a terribly depressed poet. In 2009, this film was released. Robin William’s death by asphyxiation startled the globe in 2014, just five years after his death. Depression is depicted in great detail in this film.

6. The Royal Tenenbaums

The Royal Tenenbaums

This is an award-winning dark comedy about despair. The plot revolves around a depressed household of three adults. Gene Hackman’s character, the father, pretends to have stomach cancer in order to reunite his family. Gwyneth Paltrow and Luke Wilson star as the three children in the depressing comedy.

7. Garden State

This is one of the few movies that depicts the usage of medicine to treat depression in an unfavorable light. As a matter of fact, it’s the story of one young man’s life. As a result of an accident that left his mother crippled, Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) feels responsible. Angry by his mother’s constant despair, Andrew pushed her, which resulted in her falling and injuring her neck. Andrew is provided medication by his father, a psychiatrist, before he moves away. It is only after his mother’s death due to her paralysis that he returns to his parents’ home. Reuniting with old acquaintances and falling in love with Sam are among the things he does while he’s back in town (Natalie Portman).

8. It’s Kind of a Funny Story

The idea that depression is caused by trauma, bereavement, or abuse is debunked in this film. It’s a disease that can strike anyone at any time. Craig, a 15-year-old boy, suffers from sadness despite having a seemingly wonderful life. He is admitted to an adult psychiatric facility after contemplating suicide. There are societal, academic and parental demands on Craig to achieve. Bobby (Zach Galifianakis) takes Craig under his wing when he arrives at the hospital. Craig discovers that he’s not the only one struggling with the same issues. This is a tale of friendship, love, and treatment. This story has a genuine finish. After leaving the hospital, Craig admits he isn’t cured, but he has been assisted and is now able to function in the outside world with the help of his new friends and family.

9. The Virgin Suicides

The Virgin Suicides

With five sisters, Sofia Coppola’s 1970s-set film follows the lives of each of the women. Neighborhood lads tell the narrative of these five sisters through their own interpretations of what they know about them. They have a lot of secrets and are highly protective of their children. At the age of 13, the younger sister contemplates taking her own life. As the movie unfolds, the girls’ lives take on a darker hue due to the isolation, seclusion, and despair they face.

10. Melancholia

Sci-fi about depression is the subject matter of this movie. Melancholia, a planet that may or may not crash with Earth, is speeding toward us. Kristen Dunst’s Kristen Dunst portrays Justine, a character who suffers from depression. During her wedding, Justine suffers a sudden and severe depression. Kristen has already played a character with depression.

The actress has stated that she has had personal experience with depression and that she has sought therapy for the disorder.

11. Ordinary People

Ordinary People

As a child, Conrad (Timothy Hutton) and his brother were sailing together when they were involved in a boating accident. Conrad’s brother was killed in the accident, and he suffers from depression. Suicide attempts are made as a result of his mounting depression and feelings of guilt. He is admitted to a psychiatric facility for four months after the attempted suicide. Additionally, the film depicts the various responses of the parents. As soon as Conrad returns to the family home, the mother denies that her kid died and the father acts as if nothing happened.

12. The Hours

Depressed ladies from different times are featured in this film. The reading of Mrs. Dalloway connects Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman) in 1923, housewife Laura Brown (Julianna More) in 1951, and New Yorker (Meryl Streep) in 2001. A depressed woman in England is the subject of the story. In the battle against depression, each woman is coping in her own unique way.

13. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)

Charlie, a 12-year-old child who was recently released from a psychiatric hospital, is the protagonist of this coming-of-age picture. He is clinically depressed and has recently been released from the hospital. His letters to an unknown friend in his first year of high school reveal a quiet, reflective Charlie. There are flashbacks and dreams for Charlie after meeting new acquaintances. As a result of Sam’s departure for university, he suffers from feelings of inadequacy and self-blame. When he phones his sister, she immediately dials 911, fearing for Charlie’s safety. Charlie returns to the hospital, where his psychiatrist reactivates memories of sexual assault he had suppressed. Charlie is reunited with his friends after being released from the hospital.