1 Background Report: Full list of 503 movies considered for the study on “Madness at the Movies: Prioritised Movies for Self-Directed Learning by Medical Students” Nick Wilson, 1* Deb Heath, 2 Tim Heath, 3 Peter Gallagher, 1 Mark Huthwaite 1 1 University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand 2 Auckland District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand 3 Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand Table 1 provides the list of 23 movies (4.6% of the 503 identified) that were selected for further viewing and ranking. Our final prioritised selection of ten movies (with at least two movies for each of the four topic areas) is also shown in Table 1. In Table 2 is the full list of 503 movies considered, along with reasons why they were excluded from further consideration. Table 1: The final selection of 23 movies within the four top topic areas, i.e., those with reasonable artistic/entertainment value (released from 1960 onwards, a “Rotten Tomato” (RT) score of 7.5, and related to a major area of mental health) Movie title (Year) RT avera ge score (/10) Collective ranking by the authors (1=best) Description / comments Depressive and anxiety disorders Ordinary People (1980) 7.8 3 This movie covers “both major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder” (PTSD). The role played by the psychiatrist has been described as particularly positive. 1 Praise for this movie has been noted in the literature. 2 Silver Linings Playbook (2012) 8.2 8 This movie is a romantic comedy but has quite detailed content around the lead character’s bipolar disorder. The main female character has unclear mental health issues (possibly a borderline personality disorder) and the father may have an obsessive compulsive personality disorder. Le Feu Follet (1963) (the Fire Within) 7.7 Ruled out* This movie was ruled out on the grounds of being particularly grim with no substantially positive role played by any health professional. The nature of the lead character’s depression seems very existential in nature and the approach to treating his alcoholism seemed very outdated. The Secret Garden (1993) 7.8 Ruled out* This movie was ruled out as the mental health aspects were considered too unrealistic. Illicit drug use Trainspotting (1996) 8.3 1 This movie provides insights in the various problems associated with heroin use. It shows the problems of crime, urban squalor, withdrawal experience, death from HIV/AIDS, and death from neglect (death of infant). One character (Begbie) shows extreme sociopathic tendencies (violent attacks on others). There is extensive poly-drug use: especially smoking and alcohol use. Various aspects of the movie are also considered in the literature. 3 4 Winter's Bone (2010) 8.3 4 This movie provides an excellent portrayal of survival in a difficult drug-using environment. The lead character is shown to deal strongly with a situation of poverty and the production and use of methamphetamine in the community. The mother’s mental illness is unclear (possibly depression) and some of the other characters exhibit sociopathic and aggressive tendencies.