Thor
It’s hard to relate to a god; Thor looks unbreakable, yet even he struggled with depression. Avengers: Endgame showed us another side of many of our beloved Marvel heroes. Many are fighting with depression for obvious reasons. Their friends and family were killed, but it was Thor’s emotional and physical transformation that struck home for some. Five years after he failed to kill Thanos, we see Thor is a recluse and obviously depressed. He is overweight, drunk, and doesn’t care about saving the planet, let alone himself. It’s surprising to see a big tent blockbuster film so accurately depict mental illness. Hopefully Marvel continues to show us accurate depictions of mental illness.
Gregory House
Even doctors suffer from depression. Look the guy is in pain. We get that, he says it almost every episode! The thing is many who struggle with depression understand why he is so miserable. He relies on pain killers to soothe the external pain but nothing can hide his internal pain. Not only does he suffer, but his colleagues and friends suffer too. While he can be unlikable most of the time, we can also emphasize with a man in pain.
Eeyore
It’s hard to see someone with depression and not know how to help them. It’s even harder when it’s a stuffed donkey in the Hundred Acre Wood. Eeyore looks miserable most of the time and so many can relate to his dour look on the world. Luckily he has friends to help him on his journey. If Eeyore teaches us anything, it’s that we need others to help us at our low points.
Edward Norton in Fight Club
Anyone that struggles with depression understands feeling hopeless. The narrator in Fight Club understand that deeply. The man shops exclusively at IKEA for crying out loud. His quiet desperation is hard to watch in the beginning of Fight Club. It’s no wonder he found solace in the crazy Tyler Durden. I don’t condone anything the “narrator” does in the movie. However, I think Edward Norton’s depiction of of a person weighed down by depression is spot on.
Charlie from Perks of Being a Wallflower
Charlie is the main character with depression in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” He is smart, kind, and mostly sad. He has struggled for years, but maybe his first day in high school will change things. Many understood what Charlie was going through and could relate to his struggles. What’s more important is his drive to not succumb to his illness. The movie shows us a person who gives a valiant effort to mask his depressive symptoms. It also shows us how unhelpful that is for the sufferer and everyone around them.
Dexter Morgan
Many might not think a serial killer is capable of struggling with depression. And you are probably right. Dexter Morgan is a sociopath with no apparent feelings. The strange thing is he shows many signs of someone struggling with depression. Watching the show one could understand Dexter’s lack of emotion toward everyday circumstances. The thing many with depression will understand is Dexter’s complete lack of feelings. Depression is capable of sucking all emotions out, so in a weird way a sociopath could appear very similar to someone with depression.
Lieutenant Dan
Lieutenant Dan is one of my favorite character and he just so happens to wrestle with depression. Maybe there is a reason for that. Lt. Dan was a man with a destiny. He thought he would go to war, be a proud soldier and eventually he could die with honor in battle. Fate or God had other plans. During a battle he loses both his legs. Afterwards he embarks on a journey of despair until he goes to work with Forrest on a shrimping boat.
I love Gary Sinise’s portrayal because he covers the full gamut of human emotion. He goes from a proud soldier to a disabled vet, too depressed to even care about the world. But then his story gets interesting. He accepts his fate and moves forward. That’s what anyone with depression needs to remember, we can move forward and try to live a good life.
James Bond
Surprised to see James Bond struggles with depression? I’m not, James Bond puts on a good show, but he doesn’t fool me. Mind you, I’m talking about the Daniel Craig version. James always looks like he has things under control. Yet I noticed that when he is not getting the girl and blowing up practically everything, he isn’t very happy. There are several Bond films where he finds himself without a job, and he looks miserable. What if James Bond can teach of something about depression? What if we need a purpose in life and when we lose that, what do we have? We need to find meaning in our lives in order to fight depression.
Check out another article regarding mental illness here.
For help with depression here are some resources
For information check out https://www.nami.org/Home.
Even more resources see https://www.nimh.nih.gov.
