The Most Popular Korean Dramas That Discuss Mental Illness

I posted this article on my mental health blog but I've decided to also share this here.

Are you looking for a fresh new entertainment world? Maybe you are just tired of local tv or just want a change in setting? Or maybe you want to learn a bit more about mental illness? Whatever the reason for clicking on this article I hope you'll try out these drama suggestions! Now, it's always good to keep in mind that these dramas may not have everything about the illnesses presented correctly and/or the side effects could be more dramatic than in real-life situations. Still, though, they are fun and enjoyable to watch and also have a lot of life lessons to be learned from them. Some of them also have some very memorable quotes in their script which is the very beauty of these Kdramas. Plus the way the actors portray their characters makes all of these well worth a watch even if you aren't into foreign shows!

1.Kill Me, Heal me

This drama includes: Dissociative Identity Disorder(DID)

Let's start this list off with a more intense show: Kill me, heal me.

Kill me, Heal me is a Kdrama that takes you through a load of different emotions, one minute it can be extremely funny, and the next you could be sobbing. This fun and eventful drama tells the story of a chaebol (rich heir) that develops a mental illness called Dissociative identity disorder (DID) which was formerly known as Multiple personality disorder. It navigates through him struggling to contain 1 of his alters which happens to be in love with a psychiatric doctor. This psychiatric doctor was apparently with the alter when he first "came out". The original version/personality of the main character then hires this same psychiatric doctor to help him get rid of the alter that was in love with her. Now of course she likes the alter better than the original because the alters attitude is way better but since she's a psychiatrist she decided to help cure him. While in the process of this they found out that they knew each other at the time when the trauma made him develop this disorder and they also find love. There are also some twists in her identity storyline so it's definitely well worth checking out! I highly recommend it. This series also has a bunch of funny moments including when a new alter comes out which happens to be a younger girl. It's incredibly hilarious when he starts acting like a younger girl. The acting in this drama is and always will be superior.

Click Here to watch kill me heal me

2. It's Okay That's Love

This drama includes: OCD(obsessive-compulsive disorder), Genophobia, Schizophrenia, and Tourette syndrome

It's okay that's love has a storyline that's more focused on love than kill me heal me but it also contains a bunch of real events and mental illnesses that are in the process of being cured. It also revolves around the storyline of psychiatrists, but in this one, she too struggles from a mental illness.

This illness holds her back from ever being physically intimate in a relationship. This all changes when the main male lead comes into her life though. Their love story is beautiful but very very emotional because they struggle from the challenges that come with having a mental illness and the struggles of finding out that your loved one may also have one. During their relationship, after she finally trusts him and gets over the trauma she once had, she notices something off about him. They use dramatic irony so we already know he's struggling, but once she puts all the pieces together this drama gets so emotional. It can be very touching for someone that struggles with a mental illness to see how much all the characters support each other. You'll have to watch this drama to see what the guy is struggling with because I don't want to spoil anything but this drama is totally worth putting on your watch list. It also contains many mental illnesses that tend to be less talked about than others.

Click here to watch Its Okay that's Love

3. Itaewon Class

Includes: Antisocial personality disorder

While mental illness isn't the main storyline, this drama is worth the watch because it shows the struggles of not holding power in society. It also shows the corrupt side of the business world and revolves around the revenge of a teenager that lost his father whose cause of death was hidden due to that corruptness.

This drama can be very exciting as it shows the development of someone that was once very violent who now speaks up for himself through his success in business. It also shows that you should never give up no matter what you're facing in life and no matter how low you are you can always become successful through your efforts. This drama displays how important friendships can be when faced with challenges. The character that has Anti-social personality disorder is the one that drives his new business into the success it has by the end of the show. This drama also displays that people with this disorder can still accomplish many things despite their differences. We can see her begin to care a bit more about others by the end of the show which shows us that she's learned how to live life a little more normally (aka cope) despite her disadvantages. Overall this show is filled with excitement and is very inspirational which makes it well worth a watch.

Click here to watch Itaewon class

4. It's Okay Not to Be Okay

Includes: Autism

This drama got a bunch of hype in 2020 and brought a lot of people into our Kdrama community. I see why too...the drama was really interesting as it talked about a woman that writes children's fictional books but not just any children books she writes scary novels that have made her into the popular writer she is today. In addition to her writing, she is popular for being extraordinarily beautiful with a cruel and arrogant attitude which later on we figure out is due to her past with her mom that emotionally abused her. While being successful, she struggles a lot with her past memories of her mom and then she meets the main ML. Their first meeting was epic but for a while, the guy isn't sure about her, she keeps hitting on him and he doesn't seem to be shaken but that's only because he thinks he doesn't deserve happiness because of something he did to his autistic brother early on in his life. His autistic brother saw their mom get murdered so he struggles with PTSD. It just so happens that the brother is also extremely obsessed with the FL's writing and so this kind of sparks the main lead's relationship. I think I should also mention that the ML is a psychiatrist so we see a few cases that he has in the hospital which is also pretty insightful. All of this and more happen in this drama which makes it totally worth the watch. I am personally obsessed with the female character because she's very strong and goes after what she wants. She does seem rude sometimes but for some reason, I like that about her because she acts like she owns the world which is the attitude that attracts many people to her. I also really like how the actor for the brother portrayed being autistic he was amazing at it! 

Click Here to watch Its Okay to Not Be Okay

5. Clean with passion for now

Includes: OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)

This story revolves around a CEO of a cleaning company and an extremely messy poorer girl that loses her job. The CEO is currently battling a severe case of OCD where he can't touch or be around anything that has just a spec of dust on it. This drama is good with describing just how severe OCD can be and breaks the misconception that OCD may only include an individual being extremely organized. It really digs into the fact that OCD can significantly disrupt the many lives of those who suffer from it. Eventually, after the 2 oddly matched characters have met a few times he determines that she can help him cure his mental illness. They start a relationship that becomes affected when they figure out that their parents had crossed paths before. Overall the plot isn't consistently smooth but the drama itself was an interesting idea that has become pretty popular. I recommend this drama if you like to see strong friendships and want to learn a bit about the struggles that those living with OCD face also if you like to see how 2 people can maintain their relationship despite their major differences.

Click here to watch Clean with passion for now

6. I am Not a Robot

Includes: Anthropophobia (fear of people)

This drama is very interesting and revolves around the life of a rich guy living with anthropophobia. At the beginning of the drama, he has locked himself in his house away from any contact with the outside world when one day he hears about a robot that's being built. It just so turns out that when the developers of this robot were about to ship the robot to him it suddenly broke down and so the developer hires his ex-girlfriend, whom the robot is modeled after, to act like a robot until the trial is over and he can fix the real one.

This drama is very popular for its unique storyline and it kinda started a trend in the Kdrama world that has now been represented in other dramas. Now, we've seen similar storylines that present a "robot" and a human falling in love with each other. Anyways, this one is worth a watch for its silly but creative, emotional storyline.

Click Here to watch I am not a robot

Honorable mention:

-Revenge note 1 - it has a side storyline containing a character with monomania. Although it didn't specify the exact illness, I did some research and it seems to be what they presented in the show. Overall this drama is entertaining because it's shorter, with a lot of different storylines. Plus, there's also a season 2 so if you enjoy season 1 you can watch the second which is not common for Asian dramas.

Click here to watch

Overall there are many other dramas that talk about mental illness but these are just my top suggestions. I think these can be enjoyable for anyone to watch! I personally love how Kdramas are quite short but are meaningful in substance. They also provide us with a ton of character development which isn't often seen in American TV.

If you watch one of these be sure to let me know what you think in the comments below!

*All of these dramas can be seen on VIKI or for free on any of these websites: (be careful though sometimes some of these sites are a little sketchy)

https://dramacool.vc/

https://kissasian.sh/