Lights, Camera, Diagnosis: Neurodivergence in Film
Leader
Mr Rea
Cohort
Max 16 Students
Department
Psychology
Timing
Wednesday 16:30
Course Overview
From eccentric geniuses and troubled artists to dangerous villains and misunderstood outsiders, cinema has profoundly shaped the way we imagine psychological difference. But how closely do these portrayals resemble the conditions they claim to represent? This short course explores representations of neurodivergence and mental disorder on screen, examining autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder through a selection of influential films. Pupils will compare cinematic portrayals with psychological research and clinical understanding, identifying where filmmakers capture genuine experiences and where they exaggerate, simplify, or distort them. Alongside questions of accuracy, we will consider the broader issue of whether film merely reflects society's attitudes towards psychological difference, or it helps create them.
Key Benefits
- Develop understanding of major psychological and neurodevelopmental conditions
- Learn to distinguish clinical evidence from popular stereotypes and misconceptions
- Develop critical media literacy by analysing how filmmakers construct representations of psychological difference
- Evaluate the potential influence of film on stigma, empathy, and public understanding
- Build confidence in discussion, debate, and evidence-based evaluation
Course Structure
This seminar-style course combines psychology with film analysis. Each session focuses on a different condition and uses scenes from one or more films as psychological case studies. Pupils will first establish what research tells us about the condition before examining how filmmakers represent its symptoms, causes, treatment, and impact on everyday life.
Indicative Session Outline
Session 1: Autism: Does Hollywood Think Autism Means Genius?
Explore autism through Rain Man (1988), Temple Grandin (2010), and The Reason I Jump (2020), examining key characteristics and the diversity of the spectrum while considering whether Hollywood’s fascination with savant abilities has increased public understanding of autism or simply replaced one misunderstanding with another. Focus: Autism, Savant Syndrome, and Stereotyping
Session 2: ADHD: Distracted, Disruptive—or Misunderstood?
Explore ADHD through Mommy (2014) and Percy Jackson & the Olympians (2010), examining attention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and executive functioning while evaluating competing portrayals of ADHD as either disruptive behaviour or a hidden “superpower”, and whether either captures the reality of the condition. Focus: ADHD, Executive Function, and the “Superpower” Narrative
Session 3: Schizophrenia: When Can You Trust What You See?
Examine schizophrenia through A Beautiful Mind (2001) and The Soloist (2009), exploring hallucinations, delusions, and other symptoms while considering whether cinema’s attempts to place audiences inside an altered reality generate greater empathy or reinforce damaging associations between schizophrenia, unpredictability, and danger. Focus: Schizophrenia, Psychosis, and Stigma
Session 4: OCD: More Than Being a “Neat Freak”
Explore obsessive-compulsive disorder through The Aviator (2004) and As Good as It Gets (1997), distinguishing clinical OCD from perfectionism and cleanliness while examining obsessions, anxiety, and compulsions, and considering how successfully cinema can represent a condition in which much of the psychological distress may remain invisible. Focus: OCD, Compulsions, and Trivialisation
Session 5: Bipolar Disorder: Is Mental Illness a Good Story?
Explore bipolar disorder through Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and Mr. Jones (1993), examining mania, depression, and their effects on everyday life while considering whether filmmakers inevitably distort or romanticise psychological disorders for dramatic effect, and what responsibility cinema has to portray them accurately. Focus: Bipolar Disorder, Romanticisation, and Responsibility