In film history, the origins of documentaries on mental illness date far back to the release of films such as Let There Be Light (USA 1942), Titicut Follies (USA 1967), or San Clemente (Italy 1980), which are characterized by taking a distanced and general look at persons with mental illnesses, their behavior, and the conditions of psychiatric institutions. Documentary film in particular focuses in greater detail on its subjects and their socio-cultural context. The media, with its educational potential, accessibility, and great influence, plays a decisive role in this matter. A way of encouraging this first step is to improve society’s tolerance of mental illness, and to counteract the mystification, tabooing, and defamation of those affected by it. The basic condition for therapy, however, is the patient’s acceptance of her/his illness.
It is thus not surprising that those affected are frequently confronted with statements such as “don’t always be so sad,” “just drink a little less,” or “you don’t have to be afraid of that.” These possibly well-intentioned pieces of advice reflect the ignorance and insecurity of the patient’s relatives, who cannot deal with these conditions as effectively as professional therapy.
While somatic illnesses are attributed to malfunctions of our biological organism, over which we seem to have little or no influence, the responsibility for our mental health is often seen as being in our hands and conditioned by our willpower. Despite their prevalence, they are still subject to stigma and are often associated with character weakness in combination with great feelings of guilt on the part of those affected by psychiatric disorders. Thus, mental illnesses are some of the most widespread disorders and are omnipresent, albeit often pushed aside and concealed. In 2017, 729 million people (10.7% of the world’s population) were affected by mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, drug addiction, or alcoholism.