Bat Therapy: Mental Health through the Lens of Comics and Film

The Penguin’s fight for acceptance, Selina Kyle’s creation of Catwoman as response to a trauma and low self-esteem, Bruce Wayne brooding in the dark for no apparent reason, duck-shaped modes of transportation. This movie has it all.

Somebody saaaaaave meeee…from bad representations of current inpatient facilities and electroconvulsive therapy (both legitimate treatment options that many find helpful). We talk Dr. Claire Foster, Lex Luthor’s psychiatrist as he struggles with psychosis, and Dr. Evans, a therapist Lois Lane sees for some dream interpretation.

The New 52 allowed Barbara Gordon to transition from Oracle back to Batgirl. But despite regaining the use of her legs, Batgirl is left with “pain and darkness”. Hear our thoughts on her therapist who is based on a real-life clinical psychologist!

We take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to talk about Marvel’s recently released Wakanda Forever. We discuss grief, anger, and the delicate balance between justice and mutual assured destruction.

What is a therapist to do when Lucifer himself walks into their office? We explore Dr. Linda Martin’s approach to Lucifer’s treatment and answer other questions like how a therapist deals with the pressures of the job (whether they treat godlike creatures or mere mortals).

Not too much is known about the professional life of Dr. Chase Meridian, Gotham PD consultant and expert in “abnormal psychology and multiple personality disorder.” We talk about her professional work and the question of if this Two-Face truly represents Dissociative Identify Disorder. For your listening pleasure, we also may get a little sidetracked into talking about the silly quirks of this Batman film.

Dr. Ellie Staple is a psychiatrist specializing in treating clients who believe they are superheroes. Hear us explore Keeden’s new phobia brought on by the twist in this final movie of the Unbreakable Series as well as Dr. Brown’s thoughts on how to unfold the layers and get to the truth with someone like Mr. Glass.

A psychiatrist specializing in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) who lives in M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable universe. What could go wrong? We discuss the benefits of Dr. Fletcher’s approach to her clients while also hitting on the issues with the popular choice to use DID as a movie/TV/book plot point.

Billy Russo (Jigsaw) ‘s psychologist in The Punisher TV show, Dr. Krista Dumont, uses a lot of effective therapeutic skills to help him cope with his trauma and physical rehabilitation. She is also a reminder that therapists are people too, she is both a healer and someone attempting to find her own way to heal.

Artificial Intelligence and robots providing psychotherapy to superheroes – what’s not to love? Tom King does it again, balancing mental health confessionals and a deathly whodunit with lighthearted humor. Recommend this read from a comic book and psychology perspective!