Updated : May 31, 2014 10:23 AM IST
The blockbuster "'Barfi!"' saw Priyanka Chopra as a young girl suffering from Autism. Autism affects about 1-2 people per 1,000. It is a disorder of neural development and is usually first noticed in children from the age of three. It is characterised by impaired social interaction, communication and restricted repetitive behaviour.
The movie "'Devdas"' has Shah Rukh Khan depict a lovelorn, depressed and alcoholic man, who eventually dies of liver cirrhosis. Major depressive disorder (MDD) or clinical depression is sadly a mental disorder which isn’t taken very seriously. The condition leads the person to believe that life is not worth living. A constant sense of doom surrounds the people suffering from this condition. Clinically, this condition is usually diagnosed by the patient’s own experiences and mental ability tests. The condition usually affects a person’s family and interpersonal relationships, it disrupts work and school life, sleeping and eating habits and the overall health of the person. It usually impacts the person’s well-being and may lead to the person to substance abuse and more often than not is linked with suicidal tendencies.
The movie "'Heroine"' had leading lady Kareena Kapoor suffer from bipolar disorder. Although this movie does not focus on her illness and more on how the illness caused the downfall of her career, it still helped in bringing the condition and its management to the forefront. Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder also called manic-depressive disorder is a mood disorder, and people usually experience disruptive mood swings that range from a frenzied state known as mania to depression. These extreme mood swings are separated by a ‘normal phase’ as well. The prevalence of this condition is the same in men and women, and across all ethnic groups.
The movie revolved around a boy coping with mental retardation. Hrithik Roshan does justice to his role as a mentally challenged boy. So what is mental retardation? Mental retardation refers to a condition which appears before adulthood. The characteristic symptoms of the condition are significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviours. Most people who suffer from this condition do not show any external symptoms. So the ‘typical appearance’ thought to be the landmark of this condition is no longer true.
In the movie ‘My Name is Khan’ Shah Rukh Khan was a man afflicted with Asperger’s Syndrome. He received wide acclaim for his accurate portrayal of the character, and is said to have done a lot of research on the topic. Asperger Syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger’s Syndrome or Asperger disorder, can be classified as an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This condition is characterised by significant difficulties in social interaction, restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests. Unlike other autism spectrum disorders patients suffering from this disorder show a better development of linguistic and cognitive development. A common symptom seen in people with Asperger’s Syndrome is clumsiness, unusual use of language and trouble handling social situations.
The movie ‘Tare Zameen Par’ was a huge hit due to its tear jerking portrayal of a child battling dyslexia. The movie shows how Darsheel Safary, the protagonist of the movie, struggles with the ridicule he faces for behaving in a manner completely normal to him. Dyslexia , is also commonly known as developmental reading disorder (DRD). It occurs when there is a problem in the Wernicke’s area, the lobe of the brain that helps to interpret language. It is a specific information processing problem that does not make the person’s intelligence decrease in any way. Children and individuals with this condition usually have normal to above average IQ. They are capable of grasping and solving the most complex problems. Dyslexic children need special care and attention, with regards to treating them and not making them feel left out. DRD may appear in combination with developmental writing disorder and developmental arithmetic disorder. Since all of these involve using symbols to convey information it is sometime hard for the patient to grasp. DRD is known to to be genetic.
Actor Salman Khan did one of his most widely acclaimed roles in the movie ‘Tere Naam’. In the movie he essayed the role of a schizophrenic. His interpretation of the condition was accurate, but not all schizophrenics have to be in an asylum! Schizophrenia is a condition that affects the patient by young adulthood and continues till old age, in almost all cases. It is a mental disorder that is characterised by breakdown of thoughts and poor social responsiveness. People with schizophrenia are likely to have additional conditions, including major depression and anxiety disorders. Almost 50% of the patients have a substance abuse problem. The most common symptoms that patients have are auditory hallucinations, paranoid behaviour, delusions, and disorder in speech and thinking.
In the movie ‘Black’ Big B portrays a character suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Although the movie discussed the character in detail the condition was not the central theme of the movie. Nonetheless, Alzheimer’s got the much-needed limelight. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death.
While we often chastise Bollywood for giving us clichéd movies, there are times they give us gems which deal with serious topics like mental illnesses. While sometimes there can be great scientific and medical inaccuracies, there are times when the movies do justice to the theme and make us contemplate the lives of those living with ailments. Here are some of the top Bollywood movies dealing with mental ailments.