Movies about Anxiety - Mental Health Related Films

Human lives and behaviour are far more nuanced and emotive than any psychiatric diagnostic system or symptom checklist can ever portray.

Most people recognise aspects of themselves in at least a few psychiatric diagnostic categories. The difference between normal and disorder is not straightforward and often has more to do with degree rather than kind, i.e. does it cause big problems?

While movies are not perfect depictions of reality, they often present themes in relatable, enriching, usefully challenging, and thought-provoking ways.

We invite you to explore mental health through movies that raise awareness, open dialogue, present complexity, entertain, and/or normalise experiences.

Click to see the Ultimate List of Mental Health Movies index

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling. It's an important part of being alive. Anxiety alerts and prepares us for risks. It is felt as uneasiness, nervousness, or apprehension, and is accompanied by the releases of stress hormones that bring physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, chest pain and dizziness.

Anxiety is normal, provided it appears appropriately, and comes and goes without seriously interfering with your everyday recreation, relationship, and work life.

What is Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety disorders are diagnosed when the feeling of fear crosses the threshold of clinical significance by causing terrible distress and impeding your ability to function under ordinary circumstances, e.g. associating with other people, crossing the street or leaving your home.

In psychiatry, anxiety disorders are defined in the DSM-5 (diagnostic manual) under several types. These are described in the DSM-V as follows…

Separation Anxiety Disorder 309.21 (F93.0): A developmentally inappropriate and excessive fear or anxiety concerning separation from those to whom the individual is attached.

Selective Mutism 312.23 (F94.0): Consistent failure to speak in specific social situations in which there is an expectation for speaking (e.g., at school) despite speaking in other situations.

Specific Phobia 300.29 (F40.2): A marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals, receiving an injection, seeing blood).

Social Anxiety Disorder 300.23 (F40.10): A marked fear or anxiety about one or more social situations in which the individual is exposed to possible scrutiny by others. Examples include social interactions (e.g., having a conversation, meeting unfamiliar people), being observed (e.g., eating or drinking), and performing in front of others (e.g., giving a speech).

Panic Disorder 300.01 (F41.0): A recurrent unexpected panic attacks. A panic attack is an abrupt surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes.

Agoraphobia 300.22 (F40.00): A marked fear or anxiety about two (or more) of the following situations: using public transportation, being in open spaces, being in enclosed places, standing in line or being in a crowd, or being outside of the home alone.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder 300.02 (F41.1): Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance).

Movies about Anxiety

If we missed an essential film about anxiety, please let us know. We would love to include it.

Note: Movies may trigger painful memories and emotions. Please use your judgement and ensure support is available if need be.

Movie: A Fantastic Fear of Everything - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2012

Rated: 5.8

Cast: Simon Pegg, Paul Freeman, Amara Karan

Storyline: While attempting to compose a murder novel, Jack develops anxiety. In order to make the scenes more realistic, he begins to experience them in his wild and vivid imagination. He becomes fearful of everything.

Movie: Safe - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1995

Rated: 7.1

Cast: Julianne Moore, Xander Berkeley, Dean Norris

Storyline: Safe, starring Julianne Moore as Carol White, demonstrates how anxiety may spawn greater anxiety. It demonstrates how difficult it is for people suffering with this illness to cope, especially when they are unable to determine what is causing their anxiety.

Movie: As Good as It Gets - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1997

Rated: 7.7

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear

Storyline: The story of a successful novelist who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The narrative reveals how OCD symptoms conceal anxiety disorder and irrational fears.

Movie: Eighth Grade - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2018

Rated: 7.4

Cast: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson

Storyline: Kayla is a middle school adolescent who suffers from anxiety yet works hard to acquire social acceptability from her friends during the final week of eighth grade.

Movie: The Truth About Anxiety

Release: 2022

Rated: 8.2

Cast: Celia Pacquola

Storyline: Celia Pacquola is on a mission to find out how anxiety is affecting Australia.

Movie: Take Your Pills: Xanax

Release: 2022

Rated: 6.0

Cast: Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, Phoebe Gavin, Jeff Gold

Storyline: In this eye-opening documentary, patients and specialists analyze commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medication, which is a blessing for some people and a curse for others.

Movie: Dear Evan Hansen - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2021

Rated: 6.1

Cast: Ben Platt, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever

Storyline: Film adaptation of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical about Evan Hansen, a high-school senior with social anxiety disorder, and his journey of self-discovery and acceptance following the suicide of a classmate.

Movie Title: Stutz

Release: 2022

Rated: 7.8

Cast: Jonah Hill, Phil Stutz

Storyline: Follow Hill and his therapist as they explore his mental health and the steadily worsening anxiety attacks caused by movie promotion, which have transformed his ideal job into a nightmare.

Movie Title: Just Like You: Anxiety and Depression - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2022

Rated: 5.7

Cast: Hilaire Phillips, Ryan Lefebvre, Dylan Scheidt

Storyline: A documentary film about 10 brave youngsters, two Emmy-winning journalists, a clinical psychologist from Columbia University, and a determined mother who fight the stigma and fear that plague the mental health community.

Movie Title: Punch Drunk Love - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2002

Rated: 7.3

Cast: Adam Sandler, Emely Watson

Storyline: A business owner, with severe social anxiety, is set up on a date with his sister's co-worker.

Movie Title: Copycat - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1995

Rated: 6.6

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter Dermot Mulroney

Storyline: After being assaulted, a criminal psychologist suffers from an anxiety disorder called agoraphobia. Despite her condition, she tries to hunt down a dangerous serial killer.

Movie Title: Mrs Dalloway - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1997

Rated: 6.9

Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Natascha McElhone

Storyline: Clarissa Dalloway experiences daily anxiety and depression but she deals with it in her own party-girl way.

Movie Title: Nerve - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2013

Rated: 4.5

Cast: Christian Clark, Georgina Haig, Craig Hall

Storyline: A young man with severe anxiety agrees to be the subject of an experiment. He hopes that it will end his problem and does not know that it will be the battle of his life.

Movie Title: Ordinary People - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1980

Rated: 7.8

Cast: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore

Storyline: A boy tries to deal with his anxiety after the death of his older brother. He reconnects with his mother and father with the help of his psychiatrist.

Movie Title: The Village - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2004

Rated: 6.5

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt

Storyline: Set in an isolated village, a young man goes to the town beyond the wood to get medical supplies. The community lives with anxiety as they fear for the safety of the village.

Movie Title: White Oleander - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2002

Rated: 7.2

Cast: Michelle Pfiffer, Renee Zellweger, Robin Wright Penn, Billy Connolly

Storyline: A young girl develops anxiety as she is separated from her mother who is accused of a murder. She experiences abuse from one foster home to another. She also exposes her self to substance abuse .

Movie Title: Elling (Norwegian) - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2001

Rated: 7.6

Cast: Per Christian Ellefson, Sven Nordin

Storyline: A mentally disabled man suffers from social anxiety and agoraphobia as he leaves home. He meets a new friend at the mental health institution. The two find their ways to cope with society.

Movie Title: Adaptation - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2002

Rated: 7.7

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper

Storyline: A screenwriter is struggling with anxiety, social phobia, low self-esteem and depression . His twin brother helps him to finish his work but they discover a secret about the book, "The Orchid Thief".

Movie Title: The King's Speech - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2010

Rated: 8

Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter

Storyline: King George VI of the United Kingdom is an insecure man and suffers from anxiety caused by his fear of public speaking. His friendship with his speech therapist helps him unravel his deepest fears.

Movie Title: The Black Swan - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2010

Rated: 8

Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel

Storyline: A ballerina whose life is consumed with dance, suffers from an anxiety disorder. She struggles to reach deeper into her hidden dark secret.

Movie Title: Girl Interrupted - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1999

Rated: 7.3

Cast: Clea DuVall, Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie

Storyline: Based on a true story, a young woman committed herself to a psychiatric hospital to treat anxiety attacks and depression . She is diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder. She befriends a group of women who influence her life.

Movie Title: Precious - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2009

Rated: 7.4

Cast: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton

Storyline: A young woman named Precious suffers from anxiety. She has been raped by her own father and physically and verbally abused by her mother. She becomes an independent and stronger mom of two and brings back her dignity.

Movie Title: Bunny and the Bull - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2009

Rated: 6.7

Cast: Edward Hogg, Simon Farnaby, Verónica Echegui

Storyline: A young man suffers from agoraphobia, a type of anxiety disorder. He takes an imaginary road trip based on his past memories.

Movie Title: Amelie - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2001

Rated: 8.3

Cast: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus

Storyline: A young woman who has social anxiety disorder decides to bring a bit of happiness to her neighbours. Along the way, she discovers love.

References and Links

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

What is anxiety?: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety

What are anxiety disorders?: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/anxiety-disorders/what-are-anxiety-disorders

Anxiety according to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety

Acknowledgements

The above article was written under my close direction and supervision. However, much credit goes to Charlene Poliquit (my right-hand man) and Andri Eigenberger (my beloved aunt) for their huge efforts in bringing this task to life.

Vincenzo Sinisi

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay