Mental health has been a big concern these days. To spread mental health awareness, more and more scriptwriters and filmmakers make an effort to put the issue into popular dramas. These Kdramas show the characters’ healing process from their particular mental illness, like social anxiety, depression, even multiple personality disorder. Moreover, this type of Kdrama also provides healing power to the viewers. So, if you’re looking for some Kdramas that deal with mental health, here are some of them.
Kdramas that Deal with Mental Health
1. “Flower Boy Next Door”
- Aired: 2013
- Episodes: 16
- Director: Jung Jung Hwa
- Screenwriter: Kim Eun Jung
“Flower Boy Next Door” follows the story of Go Dok Mi (Park Shin Hye), a “city Rapunzel” who almost never leaves her house. She is an introverted girl who struggles with her social anxiety. But one day, a man named Enrique Geum (Yoon Shi Yoon) catches her spying on her next-door neighbor. Things get pretty awkward, but then they develop some serious feelings for each other.
This is one of many Kdramas that shows how opposites do indeed attract. Seeing how Dok Mi challenges herself to come out of her ‘castle’ and deal with her anxiety gives us the courage. Everyone has some baggage to overcome in order to heal.
2. “It’s Okay, That’s Love”
- Aired: 2014
- Episodes: 16
- Director: Park Shin Woo, Jung Dong Yoon
- Screenwriter: Jo Yong
Jang Jae Yeol (Jo In Sung) is a famous mystery novel author and radio show host. However, he is struggling with a severe mental illness, schizophrenia. As the story goes, Jae Yeon meets a psychiatrist Ji Hae Soo (Gong Hyo Jin).
The story gets more interesting when Hae Soo discovers that the owner of the house she is renting is Jae Yeol. As a result, they have to live as roommates, along with Jo Dong Min (Sung Dong Il) and Park Soo Kwang (Lee Kwang Soo), who has Tourette’s Syndrome.
“It’s Okay, That’s Love” was one of the first Kdramas that had a male lead suffering from a mental illness called schizophrenia. We can follow his journey to healing through this drama. To see how he receives love regardless of his mental health in this Kdrama has such strong healing power.
3. “Heart to Heart”
- Aired: 2015
- Episodes: 16
- Screenwriter: Lee Jung Ah
- Director: Lee Yoon Jung
Cha Hong Do (Choi Kang Hee) suffers from severe social anxiety. Whenever she meets people, she blushes and wants to run away and hide. However, after her grandmother passes away, she has to go out into the world and explore. And that’s when she meets Go Yi Seok (Chun Jung Myung), who will help her come out of her shell.
“Heart to Heart” is one of several Kdramas that deals with a mental health issue. It reminds us that social anxiety is real, and it is not impossible to overcome it. If you have similar mental health issue, this Kdrama has the healing power.
4. “Kill Me, Heal Me”
- Aired: 2015
- Episodes: 20
- Director: Kim Jin Man, Kim Dae Jin
- Screenwriter: Jin Soo Wan
A wealthy man named Cha Do Hyun (Ji Sung) struggles with a Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder). As a result of his childhood traumatic experience, he has seven distinct personalities. To regain his ‘normal’ life, he asks for help from a first-year psychiatric resident, Oh Ri Jin (Hwang Jung Eum). Eventually, Ri Jin falls in love with one of Do Hyun’s personalities.
“Kill Me, Heal Me” is one of the light-hearted Kdramas exposing the mental illness issue. The screenwriter and director did a great job of making the story understandable and funny at times. Seeing how Do Hyun wants to figure out the root of his illness and tries to fix it gives us strength and courage.
5. “My Mister”
- Aired: 2018
- Episodes: 16
- Director: Kim Won Suk, Kim Sang Woo
- Screenwriter: Park Hae Young
Lee Ji An (IU) has been through hell for her entire life. She has lost almost her entire family, except her grandmother. To take care of her frail grandmother, she takes many part-time jobs and lives in a constant depression. Fortunately, her life starts to change when he meets Park Dong Hoon (Lee Sun Gyun). He tries to help Ji An whenever he can.
“My Mister” has successfully inspired people with its story. The Kdrama even got praised by a well-known author, Paulo Coelho.
“WAW! I thought I would not survive to 16 episodes, but it is a flawless description of the human condition. Congrats to the super screenplay, the fantastic director and the best possible cast.”
Paulo Coelho
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