"There is a persistent sense that cinema imitates the movement of the mind, that there is a correspondence (however elusive) to be discovered between psyche and cinema. "
- Vicky Lebeau, author of Psychoanalysis and Cinema: The Play of Shadows

"As cooperative endeavors, both psychiatry and the cinema strive to cut through the seemingly random content of everyday life and reveal the secrets of the human character. Movies have become the great storehouse for the images that populate the unconscious, the chosen territory of psychoanalytic psychiatry. Both movies and psychiatry have had as their prime focus human thought, emotions, behavior, and, above all, human motivation."
- Glen Gabbard, author of Psychiatry and the Cinema

For over two decades psychiatry residents and faculty at BIDMC and the Massachusetts Mental Health Center have taken time out of clinical endeavors to enjoy and wrestle with the psychologically-charged aspects of film. The proud tradition has included exploration of a wide array of  genres.

Recent movies and discussants  have included:

"The Funny Bones" and "We Need to Talk about Kevin" with Dr. Tom Gutheil
"It's Kind of a Funny Story" with  Dr. Christine Wittmann
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" with  Dr. Shunda McGahee
"Labyrinth" and "Mudbound" with  Dr. Tim Scarella
"The Snake Pit" with  Dr. Michael Kahn
"Moonlight" with Dr. Josh Leo
"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Mississippi" with Dr. Lisa Carbone
"The Lovely Bones" with Dr. Sara Brady


The discussants reflect the proud diversity of interest and treatment philosophy within the residency. Most of psych cinema is done at an attendings home with food, drink and laughter, and we have recently been continuing the tradition using virtual platforms for viewing and discussing films.