Summary

• TV characters with mental disorders are helping to break down the barriers surrounding mental health by opening up a dialogue.
• These characters provide accurate representations of mental illness, depicting the struggles and experiences individuals face.
• Popular shows like BoJack Horseman and Black-ish are leading the way in integrating serious topics like mental health into their storytelling.

Mental health is a serious subject that requires a great deal of sensitivity and honesty when it comes to representation in popular media, and these TV characters with mental disorders provide a wide spectrum of representation. Many shows and movies have been criticized for their portrayal of mental health, with characters being reduced to two-dimensional clichés that promote damaging stereotypes. Modern media has risen to the challenge when it comes to depicting an accurate representation of mental health. Shows like BoJack Horseman gained critical acclaim for explorations of mental illness, as well as becoming iconic staples of popular culture.

Mental illness is becoming less taboo on television. Part of that is because actors and writers are vocal about seeking support for mental health themselves, encouraging viewers to do so. Telling serialized stories depicting how fictional characters learn to live with depression, anxiety, and more helps break down the barriers to fans talking about it. Sometimes, depictions of mental illness in media can be divisive as there can be overlapping symptoms in different illnesses, and not everyone experiences them the same way. These TV characters with mental disorders are at the forefront of opening up a dialogue.

20 Rainbow Johnson (Black-ish)

Played By Tracee Ellis Ross

It's rare for sitcoms to seriously tackle any issues remotely associated with mental health without turning a stereotype into a punchline. Black-ish, however, has done a great job at integrating serious topics into its comedy and being willing to allow episodes to be more dramatic than sitcoms typically would.

One storyline, though it might have been shorter than some fans liked, involved Black-ish's Bow dealing with postpartum depression after the birth of her child. Audience members praised the episode for being able to depict Bow's struggle with her own guilt about her very real feelings as well as depict the point of view of others in the house who might not have understood what Bow was going through. Bow has become one of the best depictions of characters with postpartum depression in recent years.

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19 Gretchen Cutler (You're The Worst)

Played By Aya Cash

You're The Worst has been praised as the anti-rom-com, but beyond its sarcasm-filled comedy, the show has also tackled a lot of heavy topics. Season 2, specifically, pivots to highlight Gretchen being diagnosed with depression. The character explains that her "brain is broken" at one point, highlighting her own feelings of inadequacy.

The reveal of her diagnosis allowed viewers to see how some of her behavior was rooted in the feelings that resulted from her depression. While some viewers disliked the show taking a detour from its comedic route, the LA Times praised the episode, calling it television's "best depiction of depression ever" among TV characters diagnosed with mental disorders.

18 Edgar Quintero (You're The Worst)

Played By Desmin Borges

Also in You're The Worst is Edgar, who is a combat veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder. Unlike Gretchen, whose mental illness is treated as a story reveal, Edgar's PTSD is a part of his character from the start of the show, woven into his storylines with sensitivity and a realism that isn't always present in comedies.

Edgar struggles with his medication, wanting to take it to attempt to have as much normalcy in his life as possible, but also giving it up completely in Season 3. Viewers are able to see Edgar's story from his own point of view instead of the outside looking in as he struggles with sleep, paranoia, and treatment. The episode spotlighting him is "Twenty-Two" and is meant to raise awareness for the number of combat veterans who end their lives daily.

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17 Rebecca Bunch (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Played By Rachel Bloom

There's no denying that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is an extremely fun (and rare) musical series. That comedy, however, manages to deal with a lot of incredibly serious topics in a way that doesn't alienate viewers or pass judgment on those who might be dealing with the same subjects as the characters, including a TV character with a mental disorder that is rarely highlighted in dramedies.

Initially, many fans thought Rebecca might have been depressed or afflicted with a more generalized anxiety disorder as the show demonstrated her mental health issues, but left many aspects of them ambiguous. That changed as the show built to Rebecca's attempt to end her life and a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. Fictional characters with BPD are also often vilified instead of presented as people learning to exist with their illness. Rebecca marks a change in that.

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16 Carrie Mathison (Homeland)

Played By Claire Danes

Carrie Mathison lives with bipolar disorder while being a top-notch agent for the CIA in Homeland. Her portrayal definitely deals with the stigma attached to those living with mental illness as she hides her mental disorder from her employers in an effort to keep her job. There's a fear of judgment and repercussions if she can't "control" it.

The show allows the audience to see what it's like when Carrie feels supported and takes her medication regularly, and what it's like when the opposite is true. Bipolar disorder doesn't dictate the narrative of the show, but it does inform a lot of Carrie's decisions. While some members of the audience might have found the depiction to use Carrie's diagnosis as nothing more than a plot point, Psychology Today found the way bipolar disorder was depicted to be incredibly accurate.

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15 Jackson Marchetti (Sex Education)

Played By Kedar Williams-Stirling

Male characters dealing with mental illness are far less common than females in modern media, though this does not reflect reality. Jackson Marchetti is a good example of a male TV character breaking the stigma, with some help from his loved ones, and accepting his mental illness. Jackson is a prolific swimmer in his school, has always dated "popular" girls, and is recently-elected Head Boy.

He seems to have everything going for him, yet he's one of the newer fictional characters who have to deal with debilitating anxiety, so much so that it leads him to self-harm. He goes through a journey in which he evaluates his relationship with swimming - and his moms - eventually accepting help from his friends and allowing himself to open up to others.

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14 Beth Harmon (The Queen's Gambit)

Played By Anya Taylor-Joy

Beth is orphaned at a young age in The Queen's Gambit, left largely to her own devices as she grows up. She also develops an addiction to a tranquilizer pill in her childhood, something that impacts her greatly.

Beth's mental illness isn't labeled explicitly in the series, but she has an unhealthy obsession with winning. She also does everything in her power to sabotage herself: she drinks, smokes, takes other substances, and drowns herself in sorrow. She isolates herself and often rejects the help of other people. A reporter even labels her a genius and implies that she is "mad."

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13 Beth Cassidy (Dare Me)

Played By Marlo Kelly

Beth Cassidy is a lesser-known character, but a powerful one nevertheless. She's used to having power, but when her best friend starts to spend more time with their new cheer coach, Beth feels their friendship - and her hold over the team - slipping away. Like other TV characters with mental disorders, though Beth is depicted with symptoms of more than one, her mental illness isn't explicitly labeled.

She starts to spend time with people who are bad for her, even abusive. She withdraws into herself, ignoring texts and botching commitments. Nobody around Beth seems to notice or understand what's going on with her because she can't bring herself to be honest about her experiences. This is all too common when it comes to mental illness, as is Beth's isolation.

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12 Hannah Horvath (Girls)

Played By Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham plays the main character of HBO's Girls. Hannah Horvath struggles with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a well-known but not well-represented mental illness in media. Hannah also struggles to financially support herself. She mostly experiences the symptoms of OCD at particularly stressful times in her life, which viewers have praised as an accurate depiction of OCD. OCD is often made fun of or used as meme fodder, and Hannah's portrayal has helped to change that.

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11 Sydney Novak (I Am Not Okay With This)

Played By Sophia Lillis

Sydney is an angsty teen trying to process her father's recent suicide, her romantic feelings toward her best friend, and her newfound supernatural abilities. It turns out that these abilities are metaphorical representations of her mental health.

Sydney lives with anxiety and depression and seems to have inherited her powers from her father, who suffered from PTSD. Her outbursts of telekinesis are physical manifestations of how she feels when she's anxious, angry, frustrated, embarrassed, or sad. They're also an accessible way for those in the audience who can't empathize with these feelings to understand how she feels.

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10 BoJack Horseman (BoJack Horseman)

Voiced By Will Arnett

BoJack Horseman explores the titular character's struggles with addiction, depression, and the aftereffects of childhood neglect. The Netflix show blends BoJack's hard-hitting and emotional story with surreal humor, producing some of the most insightful explorations of mental health in an animated show. The characters in the series have become some of the most recognizable tv characters with mental disorders in pop culture.

BoJack's character is not two-dimensional. His mental health issues and struggle with addiction are depicted in an honest and thought-provoking way. BoJack creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg stated that he wanted to portray BoJack's depression "truthfully" and explore "lots of explanations for why BoJack is the way he is."

9 Alyssa (The End Of The F****ing World)

Played By Jessica Barden

In season 2 of The End Of The F***ing World, Alyssa copes with the aftermath of the first season. Her arc is an intense introspective into mental health, as Alyssa deals with depression and recovering from trauma. Alyssa's arc in season 2 is handled honestly and respectfully and depicts the feeling of separation from reality. Actress Jessica Barden said in an interview that Alyssa is "dealing with depression and doesn't understand it."

8 Diane (BoJack Horseman)

Voiced By Alison Brie

There is an impression throughout BoJack Horseman that Diane and BoJack are the two characters who truly understand each other, and a large part of that can be contributed to their shared struggles with their mental health. Diane's depression is directly addressed in the first half of season 6, with her new boyfriend Guy urging her to take anti-depressants.

Diane's struggle is honest and raw. Her decision to take medication for her mental health mirrors BoJack's journey in rehab and during the closing scenes of the season, a rejuvenated Diane reunites with Guy at the airport conceding defeat about Dawson's Creek.

7 Rae (My Mad Fat Diary)

Played By Sharon Rooney

My Mad Fat Diary is a British comedy-drama that first aired in 2016 on E4 and focuses on teenager Rae's readjustment after leaving a psychiatric hospital. Rae is a lovable and heart-warming character and her struggles with self-esteem and mental health are handled in a sensitive but touching manner.

Set in the mid-1990s, the show follows Rae as she reconnects with her best friends. The show was praised by critics for its portrayal of mental health and gentle humor, with Rae's voice-over giving a "funny insight into her experience fighting her darker times."

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6 Jessica Jones (Jessica Jones)

Played By Krysten Ritter

Jessica Jones is an insightful exploration of post-traumatic stress disorder and Jessica herself is a relatable heroine. Her Season 1 arc in which she faces Kilgrave is a chilling analysis of abuse and trauma, but Jessica is as emotionally strong as she is physically, and her final confrontation with him is a satisfying end to a despicable villain. Jessica Jones has been praised for putting "women at the forefront" and the third and final season features her inevitable confrontation with Trish, who descends into sympathetic villainy as she deals with her own addiction and feelings of inadequacy.

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5 Rick (Rick And Morty)

Previously Voiced By Justin Roiland, Now Voiced By Ian Cardoni

Like BoJack Horseman, Rick and Morty uses the exaggerated template of an animated comedy to explore real-life issues. A large part of the show is its focus on existentialism, but this directly relates to Rick Sanchez's depression as he fails to find meaning in a world of infinite realities. The infamous "Pickle Rick" episode is an interesting exploration of Rick's psyche, with the scientist turning himself into a pickle to avoid confronting his feelings. Rick eventually joins his family for therapy and receives a balanced and truthful analysis of his behavior.

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4 Princess Carolyn (BoJack Horseman)

Voiced By Amy Sedaris

Princess Carolyn's relatable character arc throughout BoJack Horseman offers an insight into high-functioning depression, with her character a juxtaposition of BoJack's. Princess Carolyn throws herself into her work as a distraction, repeating a cycle when her crazed life as an agent creates its own chaos. In season 6, Princess Carolyn's non-stop nature is kicked into overdrive when she balances her career with motherhood. The visual representations of her constantly working other selves reflect the character's exhaustion.

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3 James (The End Of The F ***ing World)

Played By Alex Lawther

During the beginning of The End Of The F***ing World, James believes he is a psychopath and dates Alyssa with the idea of killing her. However, his actor Alex Lawther has said that, though he believed his character to be a psychopath, he was really "very, very sad." James represses the trauma of his mother's suicide and feels numb and alienated from the world. His relationship with Alyssa forces him to feel again, and both characters grow and learn from each other.

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2 Elliot (Mr. Robot)

Played By Rami Malek

Throughout Mr. Robot, Elliot copes with disassociative identity disorder, depression, and anxiety, with the show portraying his struggles in a real and grounded manner. Creator Sam Esmail consulted a psychologist before production to develop Elliot's character, as well as drawing on personal experience. Elliot uses drugs and alcohol to cope and withdraws from the world. Esmail states that Elliot is "suppressing the pain," and dissociates from the surrounding reality. Mr. Robot has become one of the most thought-provoking portrayals of tv characters with mental disorders in the modern day.

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1 Randall (This Is Us)

Played By Sterling K. Brown

Randall's character in This Is Us highlights mental health issues with a focus on the stigma and struggles of men with mental illness. Randall experiences anxiety throughout the show and was originally reluctant to see a therapist. Research from the National Institute Of Mental Health states that men are statistically less likely to seek treatment for mental health than women, something which may have influenced Randall's decision. The struggle to accept help has become a common one in modern portrayals of TV characters with mental disorders, reflecting reality.

Watch on Netflix