Mental Health In Pop Culture
Frequently Misdiagnosed
"I'm so depressed I act like it's my birthday, everyday."
Related to Body-Image or Physical Appearance
Wild Card
100

Depicted by Timothee Chalamet's character in the 2018 film, Beautiful Boy, this group of disorders is characterized by impaired control, social impairment, risky use and pharmalogical criteria. Individuals impacted by this group of disorders experience a change in underlying brain chemistry that may be persistent.

What is Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders?

100

Often mistaken for Major Depressive Disorder, this disorder is characterized by changes in cognition, being short-tempered or easily startled, numbing and avoidance of symptoms that may cause nightmares or flashbacks. 

What is PTSD?

100

This disorder is characterized by emotional/behavioral symptoms in response to a known stressor within 3 months of onset of the stressor. The experienced distress is out of proportion to the severity/intensity of the stressor. Functioning is impaired in important areas of functioning. Can have depressed mood as an additional modifier.

What is Adjustment Disorder?

100
Characterized by limiting energy intake that leads to significantly low body weight congruent with developmental stage and an intense fear of gaining weight this disorder, individuals with this disorder also experience a distortion in their body-image.

What is Anorexia Nervosa?

100

This disorder is defined by dissatisfaction in sleep quantity or quality, either in falling or staying asleep and happens at least 3 nights per week. There is a higher probability of co-occurring mental or medical disorders, however, symptoms of those disorders do not explain the primary complaint.

What is Insomnia?

200

In "A Beautiful Mind," Russell Crow's character experiences delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, flat affect and disorganized speech congruent with a diagnosis of this disorder.

What is Schizophrenia?

200

Also commonly misdiagnosed as Major Depressive disorder because of how people often present to their clinician, this disorder is characterized by a depression, high energy period, poor concentration and suicidal thoughts or behaviors. 

What is Bi-Polar disorder?

200

This disorder is characterized by a depressed mood for most of the day, the majority of the days of the week for at least 2 years. While depressed, the individual may also experience poor appetite or overeating, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, low self-esteem, poor concentration or feelings of hopelessness. There has also been no associated manic or hypomanic episode.

What is Persistent Depressive Disorder or Dysthymia?

200

Marked by an incongruence in ones experienced/expressed gender and their assigned gender for at least 6 months.

What is Gender Dysphoria?

200

To be diagnosed with this disorder, an individual will have experienced a pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative behavior or vindictiveness for at least 6 months. The angry/irritable mood and argumentative behavior or vindictiveness is during interactions with at least one individual who is not a sibling. 

What is Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)?

300

Ahead of its time, the 1988 movie "Rain Man," shows a depiction of this disorder characterized by deficits in social communication, repetitive patterns or behaviors, insistence on routine and difficulty maintain or developing relationships. 

What is Autism?

300

Often going undiagnosed, this disorder is characterized by changes in mood, lack of motivation, fatigue, changes in sleep patterns and occasional thoughts of suicide. This disorder is often co-occuring with substance use disorder to manage the symptoms.

What is Major Depressive Disorder?

300

In this disorder, distress or depression may be caused by repetitive behaviors, characterized by either obsessions or compulsions, that are performed to decrease or ignore anxiety around distressing thoughts or potential situation.

What is OCD?

300

An individual who eats a large amount of food and then works out vigorously for 5 hours, may be diagnosed with this disorder.

What is Bulimia Nervosa?

300

Persistent eating of nonnutritive, nonfood substances over a period of at least 1 month and is outside of individuals developmental level or culturally acceptable.

What is PICA?

400

Jake Gyllenhaul's character in "Night Crawler" demonstrates a lack of empathy or remorse, manipulative behavior, impulsivity, inability to conform to social norms and narcissism all characteristic of this disorder. 

What is Antisocial Personality Disorder?

400

Often over diagnosed in children and under-diagnosed in adults, this disorder isn't confused with another disorder but often goes undiagnosed. It is characterized by impulsive behavior, racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating and fidgeting.

What is ADHD?

400

This disorder is characterized by an uninterrupted period of illness where a major mood episode is present and are the primary symptom throughout the total duration of the illness. Delusions or hallucinations have been present for 2 or more weeks in the absence of the mood episode during the duration of the illness. Symptoms are not attributable to substance use.

What is schizoaffective disorder?

400

This disorder is characterized by 2 or more distinct personality states that present very different in sense of self, alterations to affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception and physical appearance. A person with this disorder may experience regular lapses in memory and inability to recall important personal information. 

What is Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID?

400

Diagnosed in childhood, someone with this disorder would demonstrate a pattern of withdrawn behavior towards caregivers, lack social responsiveness to others, limited positive affect, unexplained episodes of  irritability, sadness or fearfulness in non-threatening interactions with adults and a disruption in caregiving. Behavior would be present starting at 9 months and evident prior to the age of 5. 

What is Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)?

500

Characterized by magical thinking that influences behavior, unusual perceptive experiences, odd thinking and speech (often metaphorical), constricted affect, behavior that appears odd/eccentric and lack of close friends of confidants, Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series would carry this diagnosis.

What is Schizotypal Personality Disorder?

500

THIS IS A TWO PART ANSWER: Emotional volatility, changes in self-identity, relationship problems, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, manic and depressive changes as well as increased impulsiveness is commonly misdiagnosed as this disorder when it is actually indiciative of this diagnosis.

What are Bi-Polar and Borderline Personality Disorder?

500

Recurrent, severe outburst, either behaviorally or verbally that are grossly out of proportion to the situation. These outbursts are inconsistent with individuals developmental level and occur 3 or more times per week. Mood between outbursts is typically angry or irritable for the majority of the day. Symptoms have been present for at least 12 months and present in at least two settings. This diagnosis cannot be made before the age of 6 or after 18. 

What is DMDD? (Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder)

500

Beginning in early adulthood, this disorder is characterized by a pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behavior. An individual with this disorder would be uncomfortable when they are not the center of attention and often act in a sexually seductive manner, while consistently using their appearance to draw attention to themselves. They often have exaggerated expressions of emotions and consider relationships to be more intimate than they are.

What is Histrionic Personality Disorder?

500

An individual with this disorder engages in a grandiose sense of importance (real or imagined), is preoccupied with success and achievement, only relates to "high-status" individuals and is interpersonally exploitative. They often lack empathy and are often envious of others or believe others envy them. 

What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?