Psychiatric Disorders in Malayalam Cinema

Authors

  • Badr Ratnakaran Holy Cross Hospital and Mental Health Center, Koovappally, Kottayam.
  • Sethulakshmi Sreevalsam Anil Affiliation where work was done: Holy Cross Hospital and Mental Health Centre, Koovappally, Kottayam, Pin-686518, Current Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
  • Subin Thomas Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom
  • Sherin Daniel Ampanattu Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, George, United States of America

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30834/KJP.28.2.2015.52

Abstract

Malayalam is the language spoken by people of Kerala, a south-western state in India. Cinema is an important form of entertainment in Kerala, and multiple films with themes related to mental illness have been produced in Malayalam. This review looks into the depiction of mental disorders in Malayalam cinema, and lists and analyses films which describe organic mental disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders and personality disorders. We conclude that Malayalam cinema is a rich source of films portraying psychiatric disorders, and can be used as a resource to teach psychiatry to medical students. However, one should be beware of many inaccurate and misleading portrayals of mental disorders in Malayalam movies. 

Author Biographies

Badr Ratnakaran, Holy Cross Hospital and Mental Health Center, Koovappally, Kottayam.

Consultant Psychiatrist

Sethulakshmi Sreevalsam Anil, Affiliation where work was done: Holy Cross Hospital and Mental Health Centre, Koovappally, Kottayam, Pin-686518, Current Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Position where work was done: Medical Officer, Holy Cross Hospital and Mental Health Centre, Koovappally, Kottayam, Pin-686518,

Current Position: Junior resident, Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Subin Thomas, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Associate Specialist in General Adult Psychiatry

Sherin Daniel Ampanattu, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, George, United States of America

PGY-3 resident, Department of Internal Medicine

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Published

08-12-2015

How to Cite

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Issue

Vol. 28 No. 2 (2015): July - December 2015

Section

Psychiatry in Kerala

License

Copyright (c) 2015 Kerala Journal of Psychiatry

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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