Books/films about manic depression
October 15, 2010 5:26 PM   Subscribe

I've seen The Devil and Daniel Johnston and Stephen Fry's Secret Life of the Manic Depressive and I've read The Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison. What are some other great books and films about manic depression?
posted by Chenko to Media & Arts (8 answers total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
"Sights Unseen" by Kaye Gibbons

A novel narrated by a daughter about her manic depressive mother.
posted by alicat at 7:46 PM on October 15, 2010


The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon.
posted by Noah at 8:45 PM on October 15, 2010


Dig is pretty good.
posted by Dmenet at 9:36 PM on October 15, 2010


"The Bell Jar"? I don't know what the formal definition of manic depression is though.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 9:54 PM on October 15, 2010


You're Gonna Miss Me, about Roky Erickson (lead singer for 13th Floor Elevators) is similar to The Devil and Daniel Johnson. I'm not sure if he's manic depressive - but he's definitely manic.
posted by Gortuk at 6:45 AM on October 16, 2010


Best answer: Michael Clayton includes a good portrayal of a bipolar character in mania.

In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is pretty clearly bipolar. As a book, it's great in historic significance, but as a read, it's kind of a long slog.
posted by Zed at 10:37 AM on October 16, 2010


Madness, by Marya Hornbacher.
posted by 8dot3 at 10:59 AM on October 16, 2010


Elyn R. Saks' The Center Can Not Hold is a pretty amazing read, although her official diagnosis was schizophrenia. Trained at Oxford and Yale, got a 2009 Macarthur fellowship, and she's done some amazing stuff for mental health advocacy.
posted by redsparkler at 11:16 AM on October 16, 2010


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